Corrupt Fruit
by Noizchild Johnson
Summary: Fifth one of my series, "Ghost Doll." Nakata Rieko wasn't exactly an angel of a student. She was highly unstable, drank, did drugs, highly suicidal, and very promiscuious. She turns up dead and pregnant with Anna's former shrink blamed for her murder.
1. Cotton Candy Lip Gloss

Corrupt Fruit

_Chapter One: Cotton Candy Lip Gloss:_

_Kyoto, Japan._

Anna got ready for the morning in the bathroom. She was already dressed; now for some accessories. She pulled a small bottle of Gold Amber body splash. The woman uncapped the body and took a sniff. She took in the flirty yet a subtle scent. Her boyfriend, Tsuzuki, would love this. Anna sprayed the splash on her stomach, cleavage, shoulders, and wrists. (Since the Asmodeus episode, she had grown used to him seeing the scars on her wrists. She wasn't ready to expose him to the ones on his back yet.)

She decided to go for a little jewelry next. Anna had her bracelet, of course, but she had a special item too. The woman glanced around outside of the bathroom for a beat.

_Good, no one's in sight_, she thought. Anna reached into her bag and pulled out a small box. Small nostalgia filled her soul.

These long and gold earrings were a gift. Her aunt gave her these as a graduation present. Yet, Anna never really wore them, too mature for her taste. That was until today that is. Anna slowly put them in. She smiled after she looked at them in the mirror. Too bad she didn't have her cat necklace; that would've looked perfect. She pushed that out of her mind and decided to finish up. She reached around in bag for the girly centerpiece. Anna pulled out a small container of cotton candy lip gloss and smiled.

_He's going to love this_, she thought. The woman looked in the mirror when she finished applying it. A satisfied smile came across her face at the results. She packed up her stuff and left the room.

The boys sat in the main room eating breakfast. They looked up when they heard the door slide open. Anna looked in looking all radiant in the early sunlight.

"Morning," Tsuzuki cheered with a little smile. Anna smiled back them rather gracefully.

"Morning Asato," she said, "Boys." Watari and Hisoka gave her a little wave. The woman sat next to her boyfriend.

"How is everyone?" Anna asked.

"Good," they said.

"That good to hear," she replied. The woman picked up the chopsticks and began eating. They all ate without a single word to say. Afterwards, Tsuzuki and Anna walked beside each other. The shinigami turned and looked at his girlfriend.

"Those are pretty earrings," he said. "Where did you get them?"

"My aunt gave them to me," she said, "They were a gift."

"Ah," he said, "They look great on you." Anna felt like squealing in joy inside.

"You really think so?" she asked as she tried to contain herself.

"Yeah," the shinigami admitted.

"Thanks, I'm so glad you like them," Anna said, unable to restrain the glow on her face. Tsuzuki chuckled as Anna giggled herself. Behind them, Watari and Hisoka watched on.

"They're at it again," Watari whispered. Hisoka tried to stomach the pain in his heart. It hurt to feel his partner's love for this woman. Sure he understood it, but it all still hurt him every day.

"Funny," Watari spoke up, "We always thought you would be the one with Tsuzuki." Hisoka looked up at him.

"What?" he asked. The scientist gave him a little smile.

"Oh come on," he said, "We've seen it for years." Hisoka looked away blushing.

"Am I that obvious?" he mumbled. Watari looked at him with sympathy in his eyes.

"Yes, Bon," he replied softly, "You have been." The boy looked down at his feet sheepishly.

"What are you talking about?" Anna cut in. The shinigami looked up at her.

"Nothing," they said. Anna didn't say a word as she turned back to the front. They didn't speak again until they made it to Kyoto University.


	2. Weep for Angel Blood

_Chapter Two: Weep for Angel Blood:_

Nakata Rieko wasn't exactly an angel in Kyoto University. Because she was one messed up girl, her parents thought KU would straighten her out. Well, more like her step-father did and her mother went along with it just to appease him, but that's not the point. Rieko's problems followed her to university. Not many students and teachers could figure her out. Rieko acted out quite often and that's putting it lightly.

Rieko had a drinking problem since she was thirteen. She couldn't seem to function without alcohol. Her drinking habits started when her mom's then-boyfriend offer her some Kobe Beer at a house warming party. The girl hated the taste at first, but then grew used to it after about three more samples. She ended up hiding mini bottles of sake under her bed and seeking out late at nights just for a hit of booze. Rieko even stole beer from her mom's boyfriends when they stayed the night over. Her mother never paid much attention to her to begin with and didn't really do anything to stop her daughter's growing drinking problem. Yet, that didn't start her downward spiral. The budding alcoholism only pushed the beginning of the end along. So what did then? It's hard to say in one sentence or maybe even three.

The drinking got worse from there as Rieko grew older. When booze lost its exciting appeal, she wanted more of a thrill. The teen years opened the doors to such risky vices. By the age fifteen, Rieko discovered her sexuality. It didn't take her long to lose her virginity because of it either. She had many boyfriends by the time she turned eighteen. The loose cannon lost count of how of many them she had to sneak into her room and back out again in the morning. Her step-father didn't approve of how she was carrying herself and he made it his personal mission to straighten her out. It didn't really help with an apathetic mother. She gave up on her daughter years ago after her father left them. Her step-father couldn't stand for that; so he sent Rieko to KU as a result.

The trouble got worse from the moment she arrived. Rieko got into coke, pot, and pills halfway through her freshman year just to kill her boredom. The more she chased the thrill, the more her mental stability declined. Her mood swings scared her roommate to death. Rieko even tried to attack her shoving her against the kitchen walls and strangling her over drinking her juice one Sunday afternoon. The roommate's boyfriend had to break them up while their gay friend called the police. The officials put the girls in separate dorms and Rieko was assigned to therapy as a result. The madness didn't end there.

Rieko helped herself to many of the boys in bed. Many girls ended up in catfights with her for their boyfriend being stolen by her. Rieko laughed it off and said they were just jealous and didn't know how to keep their men happy. Soon, she got bored with her classmates. She wanted something more thrilling in her sex life. Rieko turned her attention the professors to cure her hunger. She had an affair with two of them. Because of her, those professors wound up leaving the university and their wives to avoid scandal. From there, it all became unraveled.

Maybe that's why her new roommate found Rieko's dead body in her bathtub. Was this a successful suicide attempt? It began to look like so, but then, the teachers saw "Eda-Kimoto" and "dog" deeply burned into the skin of her wrists. Had she crossed a descendant of the Eda-Kimoto clan? Was it a hoax? Or was Rieko led to her death?

Anna and the boys were going to find out.


	3. Ghost Emails

_Chapter Three: Ghost E-mails:_

_Kobe, Japan, four in the morning._

Kyoto sat at her daughter's laptop and opened Sleipnir on the desktop. This machine was going back with Riku at sunrise. Her daughter had been such a help. Kyoko took longer to learn how to use the computer then Kato did, but she managed all the same. Right now, the old woman had been undetected just as her old friend instructed. Kyoko typed in Yahoo's address in the bar and logged into her account. The old woman got up to speed yesterday when she placed a call to Kimoto Manor.

"Hello?" Rihoko answered.

"Is Kimoto-san there?" Kyoko asked.

"Why?" the young mother questioned in a puzzled tone.

"I need to speak with her," the old lady told her in a matter of fact way.

"She's not here," Rihoko answered. "Who is this?"

"What do you mean she's not there?" Kyoko asked sounding panicked.

"She went out," the young mother repeated.

"Out?" the old lady asked as she tried to stay calm. "Out where?"

"Kyoto," the grad student answered. A perplexed look came over the old lady's face over the phone.

"Kyoto?" she asked.

"That's right," Rihoko said, nodding on her end of the line. "Want me to take a message?" Kyoko bit on her lower lip. She hadn't planned on this, but couldn't turn back now. She would just have to make do with this point.

"Well, yes," she admitted with hesitation.

"Okay," the young mother answered. She pulled out a notepad and pen from the living room side table drawer. "Whom may I ask is calling?"

"Tell her it's an old friend and to check her e-mail," Kyoko said as she tried to make the most of this turn of events. Rihoko wrote down the following information.

"Okay, what for?" she asked.

"Don't ask questions, just do it!" the old lady pressed her.

"Okay! I will let her know!" the young mother shouted in shock at the older woman's sudden change in tone. Kyoko took in a deep breath to calm herself down.

"Thank you," she said once she felt better.

"Anything else?" the grad student asked as she read over her own note.

"No, that is all," Kyoko said as she shook her head.

"Okay then," Rihoko said as she tried to figure out what the whole point of this conversation was for the past couple of minutes.

"Bye," the old lady responded.

"Bye," the young mother said back. Kyoko quickly hung up the phone. _Now to write the message_, she thought. Unfortunately, she was a busy woman these days. Since Kato left, the village fell on her. She ended up putting the warning off until tomorrow.

So now, Kyoko sat at her daughter's laptop at four in the morning, no less. Once everything loaded, the old woman started typing.

Kimoto-san:

One of your uncles works at Kyoto University as a professor. Yet, he is merely the puppet. Be on your guard and watch out for the head.

Kyoko read over the message and clicked send.

_I've done it for you, Iwao_, she thought as she breathed out. That was another thing; Anna would have to learn the truth sometime. For now, she had to stay in the shadows like Kato said. Kyoko understood why, but still… She shook her head.

_Right_, the old woman thought. Kyoko closed up everything, deleted all of the history, and shut down the laptop. She heard her bed calling out to her.


	4. Doctor and Former Patient

_Chapter Four: Doctor and Former Patient:_

The crew made it to Kyoto University when morning classes had just started. Tsuzuki looked over at Watari.

"You sure he works here?" he whispered to his friend.

"Not officially," Watari answered. "He actually works at the psychological center across the street. On Wednesdays and Fridays, he councils the students here at the school and today is Wednesday, right?"

"Yes," Hisoka replied. Anna nodded.

"And since they are suspending him for Rieko's death, he should be filing out the paperwork in his office," she finished up.

"Exactly," Watari finished. Anna turned her focus on him.

"Let me talk to him," she said. The boys all looked at her.

"Why?" Tsuzuki asked. Anna kept a serious face.

"He doesn't know you guys," she reasoned. "I think it would be best if I spoke to him. Please?" The boys pondered this request. Maybe, that could work, but yet something about this case didn't sit right with them. Why would Dr. Yamashita turn to Anna? How did he even know that she was alive again? Could he really be working with the Eda-Kimoto?

"Alright," Tsuzuki replied. The other two shinigami looked at him with big eyes.

"What?!" they asked. Anna looked at him in surprise.

"Really?" she asked. Tsuzuki looked her in the eye as he took her by the hands.

"Just be careful, okay?" he warned her. Anna gave him a serious look.

"I will," the woman assured him. She turned back to Watari.

"Which room is he in?" the woman asked. The scientist hesitated at first.

"217C," he said at last.

"Thank you," Anna said with a bow. The woman walked into the building. Watari and Hisoka turned to Tsuzuki.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Watari asked.

"She won't listen to me otherwise," Tsuzuki said with a shrug, "And besides, I think she'll be fine." The boys didn't look so certain. They still had their suspicions and even Tsuzuki started to regret this decision. Anna found the room and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" a groggy-sounding voice called. Anna walked into the classroom and found Dr. Yamashita sitting at his desk writing fiercely. He used to be a strong, wise old man. Dr. Yamashita must have shrunken over the years.

_I guess ten years can do that to you_, Anna thought as she watched him.

"What do you want?" the old man snapped as he looked up. His face slowly softened when he saw his former patient standing before him.

"Oh, Anna!" he said, "It's you." They stared at each other for a long time. Ten years, has it really been that long? Dr. Yamashita closed up his paperwork.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Good," she answered. Dr. Yamashita looked her up and down.

"You're a changed woman," he noted. Anna raised an eyebrow at him.

"How so?" she questioned him.

"You seem more confident than when we first met," her former therapist answered, "Happier than you were in the states." Anna smiled at him.

"Well, I have a boyfriend now," she confessed. Her former mentor looked rather delighted to hear this piece of news.

"Really?" he asked, "Is he good to you?"

"Yes," the woman replied.

"Still having dreams?" he asked.

"Yes," Anna answered rather reluctantly. She went straight into her own questions. "Doctor, how did you find me?" the woman asked. Dr. Yamashita gave her an odd look.

"How do you mean?" he asked.

"How did you know I was alive?" Anna paused, "And why would you ask me for help?" Dr. Yamashita's hands trembled.

"I can't tell you yet," he said in a quiet voice.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me the truth," his former patient pressed, "Now what is going on?" The man lowered his head. He thought he could dodge the truth with his former patient. Dr. Yamashita sighed.

"I can't tell you now," he repeated.

"What do you mean?" Anna demanded. He looked straight at her.

"Give me three days," he pleaded.

"Three days?" his former patient repeated.

"Yes! That is all I ask of you! Just give me three days to explain it all," the old man begged her. Anna pressed her lips together and nodded.

"Okay, but that's all you get!" she told him. Dr. Yamashita breathed out and bowed her head.

"Thank you Kimoto-chan," he said. She only watched him in silence. Something was really off here, but she found herself in that old black hole again.


	5. Drowning

_Chapter Five: Drowning:_

Hisoka felt so cold on the outside. Last night kept playing itself out in his head. Tsuzuki and Anna, one month alone together and this happens. He didn't see it in time.

"Bon!" he heard someone say. Hisoka quickly looked up to see Watari's smiled face was just inches from his.

"Watari?" he asked as he blinked at him. The older shinigami tilted his head at him.

"Something the matter, Bon?" the scientist asked. Hisoka quickly shook his head.

"Nothing, nothing," he said. Watari gave him an odd look, but he said nothing. Everyone knew the truth. Hisoka was in pain and the fact that everyone could see it made it even worse. To tell the truth, Hisoka didn't hate Anna. In fact, he felt rather neutral towards her; maybe a little irritated by her. However, she became like a parasite to his life. Tsuzuki brought her back to life; they reconnected and got closer. Now, they were in love. Hisoka didn't notice until too late. He wished he had said something sooner, but what good would that have done?

The bond itself was hard to stomach. Tsuzuki and Anna had a serious relationship, not a fling. The older shinigami had grown closer to Anna than he was with anyone in Meifu. Hisoka couldn't explain this fear he felt every time he saw them together. He felt as if he was standing on the outside in the cold always looking in. The boy shuddered at that thought again.

"Something wrong?" he heard someone ask. Hisoka jerked his head upwards and noticed Tsuzuki and Watari staring at him. Something wrong? It was just rubbing salt into the wound. Hisoka wished that he didn't have to hear that question anymore. In the beginning, he could mask it all with his usual stoic face, but now the façade was starting to crack.

Hisoka looked rather agitated as he glared at them, "Nothing I am fine! Will you all stop asking me?" He walked down the hall to Dr. Yamashita's main office in the Kyoto Psychology Center. Watari and Tsuzuki watched him bewildered.

"What's the matter with him?" the scientist whispered to his friend. Tsuzuki didn't answer; they knew why already.

_I've got to fix this_, Tsuzuki thought.


	6. Letting it Die

_Chapter Six: Letting it Die:_

That evening, Tsuzuki lied in his futon lost in thought. Anna was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. The shinigami lifted his head to the bathroom door. His girlfriend had just put her black and pink camisole top over her scarred back. He only saw a glimpse of them again, but the man had other things on his mind.

"Anna-chan," he spoke up. The woman glanced at him from the mirror.

"Uh-hm?" she asked. Tsuzuki sat up in their futon.

"I have a problem," he admitted.

"What is it?" Anna asked. Tsuzuki bit his lip as he lowered his eyes.

"It's with Hisoka," the shinigami said rather uneasily. Anna washed her face with the warm in the sink.

"Is he still struggling?" she asked surprised.

"Yes," Tsuzuki said with a hint of pity in his voice.

"Have you talked to him?" his girlfriend asked. Tsuzuki's facial expression changed to a rather sheepish one.

"Sort of," he said with guilt in his voice. Anna raised an eyebrow at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked with a puzzled tone.

"He blocks me off," her boyfriend explained with a sigh. "I can never get through. It's like when we first met.

"Hahw ew yoo me?" Anna asked as she brushed her teeth.

"What?" Tsuzuki asked, blinking.

"Hahw ew yoo me?" Anna asked him again with the toothpaste and toothbrush in her mouth.

"Finish brushing your teeth first and then ask me," the shinigami told her. Anna finished up and rinsed out the sink.

"How do you mean is what I said," she repeated. Tsuzuki shook his head.

"It's a long story," he brushed off.

"Ah," his girlfriend said with a nod.

"He'll have to tell you himself," the man said with a shrug. Anna's face went grim in the mirror.

"Ooo, I don't think he's a fan of me at the moment," she said.

"Yeah," Tsuzuki said. "I'm stuck here. I love you, but I'm hurting him because of it." Anna flossed her teeth now as she listened. She took a minute to think about it. Suddenly, an idea hit her.

"Take him out tomorrow," the woman suggested. Tsuzuki gave her an odd look.

"What?" he asked. Anna turned to face him.

"You know, like out on a date," she explained. The man still didn't get it

"What are… you sure?" he asked, blinking.

"Don't worry; I trust you," his girl told him. Tsuzuki leaned in with a blank stare on his face.

"But what would I say to him?" he asked. Anna shrugged her shoulders as she shook her head.

"I don't know, just anything. It's better than nothing, right?" she said. Tsuzuki pondered this whole idea. _True, it couldn't hurt_, he thought.

"Alright," he said at last. "I just want to make everyone happy." Anna smiled as she shook her head.

"You can't do that," she pointed out.

"I know," he said with sorrowful distaste in his mouth. Tsuzuki looked up at his girlfriend as she turned back to the mirror.

"Anna," he spoke up. She glanced over at him while brushing her hair.

"Um-hm?" his girl asked. Tsuzuki shifted in place on their futon.

"How was it with Dr. Yamashita today?" he asked. Anna gripped the edge of the counter.

"Hard to say, really," she admitted. He's definitely hiding something."

"What do you mean?" her boyfriend asked.

"He won't say," Anna answered. "He told me to wait three days."

"Three days?" Tsuzuki asked in a puzzled voice.

"Yeah," his woman said with a nervous nod.

"Why then?" the shinigami asked, leaning in towards the door.

"Don't know," Anna replied. The way she said that told him that this sounded like a serious case.

"Think he's working with your family?" Tsuzuki asked.

"No! He's not like that! I just know it!" the woman cried.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked.

"YES!" Anna cried with her fists clenched at her sides. Tsuzuki held up his hands.

"Okay, okay; just relax," he said. Anna sighed and turned to him.

"I'm sorry. It's just… I've known him for years," she said. "He helped me in America. I can't see him capable of that."

"I understand," her boyfriend said. Tsuzuki patted on the futon. "Just come to bed now, please," he told her. His girl cut off the light and left the bathroom. She lied down next to him in silence. Tsuzuki put his arm around her as he gave her a gentle smile.

"Good girl," he whispered. The shinigami kissed her on the head. Anna slowly shut her eyes. Tsuzuki calmed her right down in a burning sea. She had a passion to protect the innocent; just like he did.

The next day, Tsuzuki took Hisoka out to lunch. Neither spoke on the way to the Chinese restaurant the older shinigami found this morning. Hisoka didn't even look at him. Tsuzuki bit his lip; he had to try and get through at all costs.

"So," Tsuzuki spoke up. "How are you?" Hisoka turned and gave him a cold look. His partner closed his mouth.

"Okay then," he mumbled. They kept walking in discomfort. The boys sat near the window in the restaurant at lunch. Tsuzuki ate in discomfort while Hisoka didn't even look at him.

"She put you to this, didn't she?" the boy asked. Tsuzuki looked up at him from his fried rice.

"Hm?" he asked. "Why?" Hisoka didn't answer. Tsuzuki felt a little sheepish as he slowed his eating.

"Sort of…" he mumbled. Hisoka snorted as Tsuzuki breathed out in distress.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked.

"No!" his partner shouted. Tsuzuki looked at him with a big pout.

"But…" he murmured.

"Look, can we just not talk at all today?" Hisoka asked. Tsuzuki poured himself more tea.

"Okay," he muttered in a small voice. Tsuzuki glanced at his partner. "I'm still here if you need me, you know," he added.

"Just shut up," Hisoka murmured. The older shinigami looked down at his tea.

"Alright," he said quietly. They didn't speak for the rest of lunch. This was harder than Tsuzuki expected, but then again this was Hisoka he was dealing with.


	7. Professor

_Chapter Seven: Professor:_

Shichiro sat at his desk with the pills in his hands. _These pills keep me from killing_, he thought. His body was in constant need and falling apart. His wife knew that and constantly used that as his leash. However, she knew nothing about his pills. He kept it as his little secret. Everything was in balance because of these pills, but lately something was off.

Shichiro found himself getting sicker lately. His headaches were pounding worse and his breathing became labored. He could hardly focus on the lecture this morning.

"Kimoto-sensei," one of his students spoke up. "Is something wrong?" Shichiro tried to play down his pain.

"It's nothing," he lied. "I'll be just fine."

"You need to see a doctor," another student said.

"No," the professor insisted, "I'll be fine."

"You sure?" a third student asked.

"Yes!" Shichiro shouted as he slammed his hand on the desk. The class went quiet as he took in a deep breath. Class resumed, but the pain persisted. He had to sit down at one point. The students looked worried.

"Kimoto-sensei, are you…" another student spoke up.

"Yes," he said through gritted teeth. "I'm just fine! Thanks for asking!" The students went quiet as they wondered if they should get their professor some help or not. The lecture went on and so did the pain. Finally, Shichiro couldn't take it anymore.

"You know what?" he said. "I don't feel well. So, I'm letting class out early." A sea of whispers ripped through the room. The professor glanced at them.

"What?" he snapped. "I said get out!" The students packed up and left rather quickly. Shichiro now sat alone at his desk. He looked at the pills in his hand again. These were supposed to work. _What is wrong with me?_ he thought.

"You need to see a doctor," the student's voice echoed in his head. Yeah, they were right about that. This wasn't the first time this had happened either. These attacks were getting more and more frequent; each day they got worse. The professor had been ignoring it until now.

_That's it_, he thought. The man stood up and left the room.

The infirmary was packed to the door this morning. Shichiro looked at the heavy crowd. _Good thing I called hours ahead_, he thought. The professor battled his way through the crowd to the front desk. The lady didn't even look up.

"Yes, Kimoto-sensei?" she asked with her nose in a girly magazine. The man pressed his palm against the glass, panting. The shame of them knowing him too well hadn't kicked in yet.

"Just give me the chart!" he said. "It's an emergency!"

"I can see that," she said.

"No, it really is!" the professor pleaded. The receptionist lowered her magazine.

"Sir, you'll have to wait," she said in an attempt to calm him down.

"But, I can't! It's an emergency!" Shichiro wailed.

"I can see that sir, but you'll have to wait like everyone else," the lady explained. "We're full today."

"Yes, I know! Just let me in!" the professor argued. His pain suddenly kicked in again. He slumped over breathing faster.

"Please help me out! Hurry!" he wheezed out. The woman finally dropped her magazine and snapped to attention.

"Okay, okay, sir. Just write down your name here and we'll send the doctor out to you," she told him in another effort to calm him down. Shichiro nodded at her. The receptionist had to help him with paperwork which took about a couple of minutes, but they made it. He straggled and collapsed into a chair near the back wall. He felt his head spinning. Shichiro put his hand to his temples and moaned. The professor felt as if he had been running for miles. His pills should have been working by now.

The door swung open and a man close to his fifties peeked into the waiting room. He spotted Shichiro among the sea of faces and shook his head. _Here we go again_, he thought.

"Next, please!" he called pointlessly. Shichiro tried to stand up, but found it fruitless due to the pain. The doctor noticed with a serious face.

_Oh damn_, he thought. _This looks worse than the usual. I better get to work. _He broke through the crowd and made it over to the professor. The other man could barely look up. His doctor looked at him.

"Can you look up?" he asked. Shichiro slurred out his answer. The doctor nodded.

"Okay," he said, "Here, let me help you." The man helped the patient to his feet and walked him to the back. Shichiro slurred his words the whole way there.

"Don't talk, save your strength," the doctor said before the door swung door.


	8. Who was Nakata Rieko?

_Chapter Eight: Who was Nakata Rieko?:_

The investigation was underway. First, they needed to learn more about the victim. Rieko was a sophomore at Kyoto University with problems. However, who was she really? What's real and what's a rumor? First place to ask would be the school. That was a sea of information there and it turned out to be mostly nasty.

"So is there anyone who would hurt Rieko?" Tsuzuki asked. The students candidly told him all.

"Ha! Who wouldn't want her dead?" her former roommate asked.

"She was such a slut!" a senior girl told him with a snort.

"Somebody's wife probably had the Eda-Kimoto kill her," a senior boy suggested.

"She was psycho," the gay friend of the roommate said.

"We're better off without her," a freshman girl said as she trembled.

"Bitch stole my boyfriend," another senior girl complained.

"The guys only wanted her because she was a slut," a graduate girl said as she rolled her eyes.

"She was even sleeping with some of the professors," a second senior boy explained in a whisper after he glanced around him.

"I'm surprised they didn't kick her out of school," a junior male said with a shrug. Tsuzuki took it all in and nodded.

"Okay, thanks. I guess…" he muttered as the last person he interviewed headed to class. Damn and that was only the students talking! Tsuzuki found himself at a dead-end. He sighed as he looked out the window of the art building. If only there could be one…

"Excuse me," a small voice spoke up behind the shinigami. Tsuzuki turned and saw a young man standing in the doorway of the club room looking in. He seemed to be in a hurry with his schoolbag on his left shoulder. Tsuzuki looked him up and down with a puzzled look on his face.

"Can I help you?" he asked the boy. The younger man didn't speak at first.

"Are you digging into the Rieko case?" he asked. Tsuzuki looked at with a full interest.

"Why?" he asked, expecting more mud to be thrown on the victim's name. The boy shuffled in place for a little bit. He gritted his teeth as if to make himself try to and talk.

"She was my sister," he admitted with a hint of shame in his voice. Tsuzuki's eyes widened.

"What did you say?" he asked. The boy nodded at him.

"Yes," he said. Tsuzuki's attention was full and open now.

"Okay," he said, "Who are you and what do you know?" The boy swallowed to keep down his stomach as if he really needed to get this off his chest.

"My name is Nakata Masayuki," he said.

"Okay, Masayuki. What about your sister?" Tsuzuki inquired. The boy quickly looked around before he walked in a little closer. The shinigami observed his behavior rather curiously. If he didn't know any better, he would say that this boy was hiding something. He wasn't sure exactly what yet. Masayuki's eyes looked down at his feet.

"She's not as bad everyone makes her out to be," he said in a quiet voice.

"Is that right?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Yes," Masayuki admitted in a low voice. The shinigami became even more puzzled.

"Then…who is she really?" he asked. The college student dropped his shoulders and shook his head.

"She's just…" he murmured.

"She's just what?" the older man pressed. Masayuki paused and shuffled his feet.

"She's just misunderstood, you know?" he broke down and admitted.

"Not really," Tsuzuki said, shaking his head. The boy tried to put his words together as he spoke.

"She's a messed-up girl," he tried to explain. "Rieko-chan had many problems growing up. Her mother…" Masayuki shook his head. "Mom is just like everyone else at this school. They all just quit and wrote her off." He gritted his teeth. "Damn them all! They could've stayed to save her, but they turned away instead!" Masayuki tried to calm down in vain. Tsuzuki patted him on the shoulder. The boy looked up to see the shinigami giving him a gentle smile.

"You really did care about her, didn't you?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Yes," the college boy said with a sigh.

"There, there, I'll find out who did this to Rieko," the shinigami assured him in a whisper. Masayuki looked at him with big eyes.

"You promise?" he asked.

"Yes," Tsuzuki said with a nod. Masayuki straightened up as if a weight had been lifted from him.

"I thank you," he replied. The boy bowed and hurried away. Tsuzuki watched him with his faith in this case restored. Good that he found someone who truly cared about Rieko and didn't talk bad about her. Maybe, Masayuki could lead them to whoever's connected to the Eda-Kimoto in the university.


	9. No Sunshine

_Chapter Nine: No Sunshine:_

Shichiro sat in the doctor's office and waited. His arm was still sore from the needle driven into it. He breathed rapidly with the ticking clock. The fifty-seven-year-old doctor ran a blood test on him. Shichiro looked up at the ceiling. The soft ticking in the background didn't help. The professor played out many scenarios of what could be wrong with his body in his head.

_Maybe they need to up my dosage again_, he thought. This would make the first time in two years. He was close to maxing out the limit, but Shichiro had no choice. Overdose or cause a blood bath at KU; given those two choices, he would gladly take the former. The door opened and brought the patient back to earth. He looked up and saw the doctor standing before him. Shichiro prepared for the worst.

"How is it?" he asked. The doctor gave him a grave look. Shichiro tried to look positive when he noticed the look in his eyes.

"It can be fixed with pills, right?" he asked. The doctor's brown horn-rimmed glasses looked dim as he shook his head. The professor started to sweat. His doctor handed him the test results.

"Your body is starting to reject the pills," the doctor said frankly. Shichiro looked at him startled.

"What?" he asked.

"Your body is rejecting the pills," the doctor repeated. "Your kitsune is breaking down. You'll need to feed it soon."

"Well…how long do I have?" the professor asked with big eyes. The doctor pushed up his glasses.

"Hard to pinpoint exactly," he admitted. "It could be days or months." Shichiro looked down at his lap. This felt like a blind swipe. His kitsune was starting to break down? He glanced at the doc.

"Isn't there any other medication to help cope?" he asked in a trembling voice. The doctor shook his head.

"I'm afraid not," I said in serious tone. Shichiro fidgeted a bit.

"Well… what should I do?" he asked. The doctor pushed up his glasses.

"You're actually on a good day," he explained. "You caught the pain just in time. You should be stable at the moment, but I would advise you to start feeding as soon as possible. Otherwise…well, do I really need to finish that sentence for you? The professor lowered his head.

"I see," he replied. He had no choice: feed his forever-hungry kitsune or die. The pills and Amaya had pushed him to that point.

Meanwhile, Tsuzuki made his way to the university library. Watari, Hisoka, and Anna were around a computer. They looked up when they heard footsteps. Tsuzuki looked at them all.

"Hey," he said.

"Found anything?" Hisoka asked. Tsuzuki's face went grim.

"Everyone hates her here," he replied. His partner gave him a puzzled look.

"That bad?" the boy asked.

"Yeah," his partner replied, nodding. "Well, there was one person who cared about her. I talked to her brother a few minutes ago."

"She has a brother?" Anna asked.

"Yeah," her boyfriend said. "He seemed be in quite a hurry and hiding something."

"Not hard to see why," Hisoka replied. "Nakata-san lived a wild life."

"The brother said that she was misunderstood," the older shinigami went on. As they talked among each other, Watari came across an old discovery about to be refreshed.

"Hey guys," the scientist spoke up as he stared at his laptop screen. "Rieko was pregnant when she died, right?" The trio turned their attention to the scientist.

"Yes," Anna replied, "By three weeks, why?" Watari sat back from his computer.

"I ran the DNA test on the baby to find out who the father was," he went on. "At first, I thought I had added the information wrong, so I entered it all in again. I got the same results as before."

"So, who is the father?" Anna asked. Watari pointed to the screen. Everyone gathered for a look. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"Who's Nakata Masayuki?" she asked. Tsuzuki's eyes shot wide open.

"That's Rieko's brother!" he cried. Everyone looked at him, stunned.


	10. Embryo Hunting

_Chapter Ten: Embryo Hunting:_

Hotaru sat alone in the dark bathroom with her pale face looking bruised. Deep purple and blue on her cheeks with red handprints. Emiko did it again. Hotaru trembled as she saw her own reflection. _Why?_ she thought. What happened to her Emiko? Their rough sex was playful and out of love, but eight straight nights of this? Hotaru wasn't sure how much more she could take. Tonight proved to be the worst.

"Who made you, little lamb?" Emiko asked. Hotaru slowly opened her eyes. Her girlfriend stood before her, smirking. The loli demon panted with her body still sore from last night.

"Why?" Hotaru whimpered. Emiko raised an eyebrow at her.

"Sorry?" she purred in her girlfriend's ear.

"Why are you doing this to me?" the loli demon cried. Emiko drew back.

"Why am I doing this?" she repeated with such pride in her voice.

"Yes!" her girlfriend cried at the top of her lungs. A slap echoed throughout the darkened room, leaving Hotaru wincing in pain. Emiko smirked as she shook her head.

"No, I ask the questions, not you. Got that?" she asked. Hotaru whimpered as she nodded. Her lover smirked at her.

"Good," she said, "Now, who made you, my little lamb?" Hotaru's lips trembled as her whole body shook. Emiko tapped her foot.

"Answer me! I'm waiting!" she demanded. Hotaru trembled as she shook her head. Emiko shook her own head.

"Such a pity," she murmured. Another slap shot through the air and Hotaru yelped in pain. Only this time, her voice was almost gone. The butch demon stood back smiling.

"So pretty," she said with a shiver. Her panties became soaked to her red boy shorts. Violence was so arousing and the beauty in suffering added such a rich flavor. Emiko had to consume more.

"Aww," she said in fake pity. Emiko walked over and patted Hotaru on the head. The loli demon didn't look up as she trembled as she knew what was coming next. Her girlfriend happened to look down and notice.

"Aww, what's wrong?" she cooed. Hotaru didn't look up.

"Why?" she whimpered again. Her girlfriend raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why what?" she asked. The loli demon raised her eyes towards her tormentor.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she asked, sounding like an injured kitty. Emiko licked her lips at her again.

"Why am I doing this?" she repeated in a mocking tone. Hoto-chan sniffled as she nodded. Her girlfriend turned the loli demon's face to her. Tears streamed down the poor soul's cheeks.

"Are you crying?" Emiko cooed. Hoto-chan sobbed as she shook her head. Emiko grinned at the result. She pushed Hotaru back onto the bed. The loli demon whimpered as her girlfriend climbed on top. She smiled wickedly at her.

"Why am I doing this?" she asked.

"YES! WHY?" Hotaru screamed. Emiko forced a kiss onto her lips. The loli demon gave a muzzled cry. Her girlfriend quickly yanked away. She sat up licking her lips.

"Okay then, I'll tell you," the butch demon answered. Emiko moved Hotaru's arms to the headboard. She whipped out the chains for the eighth time this week. Hotaru's eyes widened.

"No!" she yelped. Emiko nodded.

"But yes," she said in a hungry tone.

"No," her girlfriend pleaded.

"I must," the other woman insisted. The butch demon chained down her victim. Hotaru's breath quickened.

"Because," Emiko said, "I just love seeing you suffer; it just turns me on!" She licked her girlfriend on the neck. Her nails dug into her flesh. Hoto-chan yelped in confused pain.

"Yes!" her girlfriend yelled. "Scream for me, bitch!" This time, Emiko bit into her neck. By this time, her girlfriend had jumped her. Emiko went all out tonight with whips and hard toys to the sweaty climax.

That was a few hours ago for eighth night in a row. It wasn't just Emiko either; Mike and Kazue had been acting strange lately. They had been staying out all night doing who-knew-what. That wasn't her biggest worry.

_What happened to us?_ Hotaru thought as she stared in the mirror. She didn't like it one bit. The loli demon had to fix this and fix it soon.


	11. Distractions

_Chapter Eleven: Distractions:_

Kyoto, Japan.

The crew all stared at Tsuzuki. "What?!" they shouted.

"Yes," the shinigami said with a nod. "Nakata Masayuki is Rieko's brother."

"So she's…" Anna began to ask as she stood there in shock. Watari opened the school's database and typed in Masayuki's name. His record came up instantly.

"Nakata Masayuki," the scientist read aloud. "Age eighteen and freshman at Kyoto University, son of Nakata Haru." Anna jerked her head upwards.

"Nakata Haru?" she asked. "You mean the famous sake brewer?"

"That's right," Watari said.

"Wow…" the woman mouthed. Rieko came from a wealthy family? _Did Dr. Yamashita know that?_ she wondered.

"I'll have to talk to Masayuki again," Tsuzuki said.

"I'm coming with you," Hisoka said.

"Yes, because we have to work in pairs," the older shinigami said as if to reassured himself.

"I'm coming too," Anna spoke up.

"Nah," Tsuzuki said, shaking his head, "Stay here with Watari. Hisoka and I will deal with Masayuki." Anna didn't ask why; she already understood.

"Alright," the woman replied. Hisoka felt a little drop of relief, but his stoic face did a good job of hiding it.

"Ready to go?" his partner asked. The boy looked him straight in the eye.

"Sure," he said. The boys vanished, leaving Anna and Watari alone. The scientist smiled at his computer screen.

"That was a nice thing you did," he said without turning around. Anna looked up at him with a confused look on her face.

"Hm?" she asked. "Oh that?" She brushed it with a little shrug. "It's nothing."

"No," Watari countered. "It means so much to Bon."

"Well," she said. "I just want to keep the peace."

"Hm," he said. The scientist kept working on the research. Anna looked around the library for any books to catch her interest. Maybe Watari was right; Hisoka had been left out lately. Probably best to let the boys go together today.

Suddenly, something caught Anna's attention. Outside the library, a boy with a younger girl was leaving a café. The boy, or man rather, looked about twenty-five. _A graduate student, maybe?_; the woman thought. Anna kept looking to see. The girl caught her interest as well.

This was merely a child of thirteen or fourteen and a pretty one at that. Perhaps she was his younger sister? Yet, that wasn't all.

Anna noticed the way this man was holding the girl-child. His arm was around her shoulder and not in an innocent way. The man grabbed the girl tightly as she seemed to struggle to get away. Anna felt her pain as she watched, but studied the pair closely. Something didn't sit right in this picture.

"Something wrong?" a voice asked. The woman jerked back to reality.

"Hm?" she asked. Watari kept his eyes on her.

"Something on your mind?" he asked as his tone matched his curiosity. Anna hesitated before she shook her head.

"Nah, I'm good," she said, putting her mask back on.

"You sure?" Watari asked, unconvinced.

"Yeah," the woman said, nodding. Anna looked out the window again. The man and the girl were gone, but they had tattooed themselves in her brain.

Anna wasn't the only one with the distraction. Tsuzuki and Hisoka were about to hit a small problem. Tsuzuki felt uncomfortable with nothing to say. This wasn't helping the situation any better, but the man still had to try and save his friendship first and then build a balance in all of his relationships.

"Oh Tsuzuki!" a woman yelled out. He nearly jumped up in the air. _That voice!_ he thought trembling. The man and his partner turned and looked up. Lucy and Stella were standing before them grinning.


	12. A Father's Confession

_Chapter Twelve: A Father's Confession:_

Lucy licked her lips at her prey. "Tsuzuki!" she cheered. He blinked at her.

"What are you doing here?" the shinigami asked. He turned when he noticed Stella eying him in a hungry way. "And who is this?" he asked. Lucy smirked at him.

"Stella and I came to find you," she answered. The Goth put her arm around the other woman. "Stella here is a gal pal of mine."

"Sup?" the other woman asked. The boys blinked at her. Something was off about Stella. Hisoka stared hard at her. The other woman's eyes caught him.

"There a problem?" she asked. The boy didn't answer at first. Suddenly, he caught it.

"You're a wolf demon!" he exclaimed. Stella eyed him closely.

"And what if I am?" she challenged. Lucy looked at her.

"What?" she asked. "Is that why you sniffed them out earlier?" Tsuzuki raised an eyebrow at her.

"She sniffed us out?" he asked.

"Yeah," Stella replied with pride. "It's a little trick of mine."

"Speaking of which," Hisoka cut in. "How did you find us in Kyoto?" Lucy grinned at him.

"Kind of funny, really," she began. "Bug the roommate, take the Bullet Train, sniff you out, and here we are." The boys looked as if she caught them masturbating.

"Really?" Tsuzuki asked stunned.

"Yes!" the girls said together. The shinigami bit his lip. They didn't need this; the crazy S&M slut was here. Now, Lucy brought a friend with her. Not just any friend, a wolf demon. Tsuzuki looked around for help in vain. That's when he spotted Masayuki going to class. Tsuzuki hurried over to the boy with Hisoka following behind.

"Hey!" Lucy shouted. "Get back here!"

"We ain't done with you!" Stella snapped. They took off after the boys. Masayuki happened to look up and see Tsuzuki and Hisoka running towards him. Naturally, he panicked and ran.

_He's really hiding something_, Tsuzuki thought. The shinigami vanished and reappeared in front of the student. Masayuki froze in his tracks as the older man stepped forward patiently.

"Don't run away," he said. "I just want to talk." The boy's panic increased in his brain. He slowly began to back away.

"Don't go," Tsuzuki said. "I just want to talk." He reached out and took the boy by the wrist. Masayuki frantically looked around.

"Shhh," the shinigami whispered in his ear. "Just calm down, calm down." The boy's body gave way to trembling.

"W-W-What do you want from me?" he asked. "I already told you what I know!"

"Not about your baby," Tsuzuki said sternly. Masayuki's eyes shot up big as he froze in place.

"What?" he asked in surprise.

"Your sister was pregnant with your baby," the older man told him.

"Step-sister," the college junior corrected him. Tsuzuki's face became blank.

"What?" he asked caught off-guard. The boy sighed defeated. He thought this little mistake would stay in his mental box.

"Her mother married my father eight years ago," he explained. "They've been friends for years. I knew Rieko-chan since we were kids. I had a crush on her for years, in fact. When our parents got married, she and I got too close too quickly. I entered KU and got close to her again. When I learned that she's pregnant, I tried to do right by her, but she turned me down."

"Why?" Tsuzuki asked. Masayuki shook his head.

"I can't really say," he said, lowering his eyes. "She always kept closing me out before her death."

"Why all of the secrecy?" Tsuzuki asked. Masayuki bit his lip.

"She's been through so much in life that the rumors still follow her," he said. "I didn't want to add onto the scandal." Tsuzuki slowly let go. Hisoka and the girls caught up to them. Masayuki hurried away as the crew made it to them. Tsuzuki waved at Hisoka and the girls.

"Hey," he said.

"Why did you let him go?" Hisoka asked. Tsuzuki gave him a patient smile.

"I got what we needed," he said. His partner raised an eyebrow at him.

"And what was that?" he asked.

"An understanding," the older shinigami answered.


	13. She Who Holds the Whip

_Chapter Thirteen: She Who Holds the Whip:_

August 23rd, 1980.

Young Shichiro loved her wavy wine purple hair. She was different; so much so that he didn't know where to start. However, she wasn't just a pretty face. Her tongue cut worse than knife. She didn't always follow Japanese etiquette. Many feared and loved her as a result. She just wanted the perfect dog. Because of that, Shichiro went from one master to another. He was a just a sucker-dog for pretty hair.

August 14th, 2009.

Shichiro made it home from the infirmary that evening. He looked around in the darkened living room. "Amaya-chan," he whispered. "You still awake?" The man closed his eyes and sniffed the air. Lavender and ginger tickled his nose. He followed the scent through the hall to their bedroom. His heart raced as he touched the door and slid it open. Not a single inch of light greeted him, but the scent increased. Shichiro closed his eyes and deeply took in the scent.

"You washed your hair?" he asked.

"Mm-hm," a voice murmured. The professor scanned the darkness for his wife. He spotted her lying on their Western-style bed. Her amber eyes seemed to glow in the dark at him. Shichiro gave her a little smile.

"Hello there," he said. Amaya looked him up and down.

"Coming to bed?" she asked.

"Why yes I am," her husband replied. He walked over to the bed and climbed on. Amaya kissed him once.

"God, you're beautiful," Shichiro whispered. She giggled a bit.

"Have a good day?" Amaya asked as she grabbed onto his tie. He shook his head sadly.

"I'm dying again," he told her. She paused as she looked at him with genuine concern in her eyes.

"What?" she asked. Shichiro nodded with a grave look in his eyes.

"I'll have to kill again," he told her. Amaya climbed on top of him and kissed him on the lips.

"I love it when you kill!" she said aloud in a hungry tone. He gave her a sad little smile.

"But, I don't want to kill anybody," her husband murmured. Amaya frowned at him.

"But you must kill or you'll die," she pointed out.

"I know, but I can't do it!" he said in a pitiful tone. She pinned him down by the shoulders. Her husband winced in pain as she nipped him on the neck.

"Are you saying you're not man enough?" she asked aloud. Amaya pulled out his tie and threw it to the floor. He shook his head.

"We can't afford to kill anymore at the school. It attracts too much attention," Shichiro reasoned with her.

"What about that girl who is in love with you?" his wife asked as she got started on the buttons of his shirt. Her husband gave her a puzzled look.

"Who, Setsuko?" he asked.

"Yeah!" she said at the top of her lungs. She discarded his shirt to the floor. Shichiro thought about that for a second.

"Maybe," he replied. His wife nipped him on the shoulder again. He chuckled as her teeth sank into his skin.

"Ow, feisty, aren't you?" the professor asked. She giggled at him in response. Amaya slowly unfastened his belt. He took in slow breathes as he trembled.

"Oh, hungry aren't you?" the professor asked. She licked on his bare collarbone. Her naked breasts rubbed up against his exposed chest. She slipped her tongue into his mouth.

In between kisses, she said, "Be the man I fell in love with twenty-nine years ago!" Her husband glanced up at her.

"How?" he asked.

"Kill for me again," Amaya whispered aloud. Shichiro gave her a little smile.

"I'll see what I can do," he answered. Amaya giggled and nuzzled his chest while unzipping his trousers. He felt himself getting hard at her touch. She smirked to herself.

"I know what you want," his wife whispered. Shichiro nodded at her quickly.

"Take me!" he pleaded. "I need you!"

"That badly?" his wife asked as she licked him on his right ear lobe.

"Yes!" he moaned aloud. Amaya smirked at him.

Okay then," she replied. "I'll give it to you."

Shichiro slowly smiled with a hazed over look in his eyes.

"Oh, yeah! I am yours!" he moaned aloud. His wife smirked and slid off his pants. Her fingers played with his boxers before taking them off. Her touch sent little chills up and down his spine. Amaya sat up and guided him into her.

She rode him as if she was breaking a wild horse in the open freedom. Shichiro lied there and took it. The ginger-lavender scent of her wine purple hair kept him high all night. Amaya only had to taunt him and use her naked body to keep the leash on him. After all, Amaya was the master and Shichiro was the dog. He threw his head back and moaned out.

"Oh God, I can't hold back!" he cried as he reached the climax. The professor let go of his juices as his wife collapsed on top of him. Shichiro stroked his wife's pretty hair as she slept on his chest. He gently kissed her on the head.

"I'll give you the best kill, my dear wife," Shichiro whispered. Amaya was the master and her husband was her little dog.


	14. Bad Blood

_Chapter Fourteen: Bad Blood:_

At the KU library, Anna got onto a computer and logged into Yahoo to check her e-mail. Another mysterious address caught her eye among the spam. _Well hello again_, she thought. _I haven't heard from you in months._ She took a quick look around before opening the message. After reading it for a few seconds, Anna's mind sprang into urgent mood.

"Watari-san!" she called. "Come look at this! I got another e-mail!"

"Hm?" he asked as he came over to her computer. Anna pointed to the screen and Watari read over her shoulder. Alarm hit his mind as well.

"Your uncle works here?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, "But which one?"

"I think I might know," Watari answered, "Look at this." He walked back to his computer and woke it up from the screensaver. Anna looked on with him.

"A list of KU's staff?" she asked.

"Uh-huh," he said, "And look at this." Watari clicked on the link. The woman's eyes widened as she read the profile.

"Shichiro?" she let out.

"I already started building up a profile on him," the scientist told her. Anna whipped around to him.

"How much do you have?" she asked.

"I'm just about finished with his victim list," he replied. Anna felt her heart racing. Watari noticed the color draining from her knuckles.

"If you need to go outside to calm down, it's okay to do so," he said. Anna tried to battle her contempt.

"No," she said at last, shaking her head, "I need a phone." Anna turned to her bag and dug through it. Watari witnessed it at last; Tsuzuki warned him about the time bomb known as Anna. Usually, she showed nothing on the surface, but that one spark known as her family will set her off. Tsuzuki also warned him not to mess with the brewing storm. On a good day, Anna will calm down by herself.

"And on a bad day?" Watari asked at lunch days ago. Tsuzuki bit his lip.

"I don't really know," he mumbled. "I've never seen it yet…"

Watari observed Anna at the moment. He hadn't even told her about Shichiro's kills yet. Anna found her phone and unlocked the keys. She dialed the most important number at the moment.

"Come on," she mumbled. "Pick up! Pick up!"

"Hello?" a man asked on the other line. Anna's heart almost leapt to her throat.

"Asato?" she asked.

"What's wrong, Anna-chan?" he asked.

"My uncle works at the university!" she said aloud.

"Which one?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Shichiro," Anna replied.

"Does he know you're there?" her boyfriend asked.

"I don't think so," the woman answered.

"Okay," Tsuzuki told her. They both hung up and Anna sank back into her chair, breathing out heavily.

In the middle of the night, Shichiro's cell phone buzzed. He slowly drew his eyes open and peeked over at his wife. Amaya could be mistaken for comatose from where he saw things. Shichiro looked at his phone as it buzzed again. He climbed out of bed and walked over to the dresser. The professor took his phone and flipped it open.

_New message?_ he thought. The man opened it up. No words, just a picture tonight. Shichiro stared blankly at first. Anna and Watari were in the library, looking at a computer. It took a moment, but Shichiro found himself grinning.

_Thank you, Sweet Buddha!_ he thought. Shichiro held the phone to his chest and hurried back to bed. He kissed Amaya on her sleeping cheek.

"I'll give you one hell of a kill," he whispered. "In fact, you'll have a red Kyoto as my gift to you!" He took her into his arms before going back to sleep.


	15. Shichiro's Darlings

_Chapter Fifteen: Shichiro's Darlings:_

Back at the house, Watari pulled up the profile he had been working on.

"This is everyone missing from Kyoto since the 80's," he addressed. "Most of the victims were young women and girls." Tsuzuki, Hisoka, and Anna looked at the screen.

"There are so many of them!" Tsuzuki exclaimed.

"Yes," Watari said in serious tone. Hisoka went through the names one by one. One of them caught his eye.

"Is that Ami Wong?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Yes," Watari answered. Anna made a face.

"Hong Kong?" she questioned the location.

"Yes," the scientist said again. "Ami was from Hong Kong." Anna drew her mouth closed stunned. Not just Japanese and Americans, but other foreigners too?

"What is the status on the case in Hong Kong?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Cold to the human police, but still active in their Meifu," Watari said.

"I see," the older shinigami replied. Tsuzuki turned to Anna.

"Anna-chan, could you step out for a moment?" he asked. She gave him an odd look.

"Why?" she asked. Her boyfriend looked to his co-workers for help, but they said nothing. Tsuzuki turned back to Anna.

"Because…" he began. Anna waited as the shinigami breathed out.

"Anna-chan," Tsuzuki began again.

"Save it," she said. "I deserve to know everything!"

"I understand, but…" he cut in.

"No!" she insisted. "What is the problem with the girl from Hong Kong?" The boys all went silent. Tsuzuki bit his lip, but Hisoka stepped forward.

"We're not sure if the Hong Kong shinigami want to judge Shichiro themselves," he said without missing a beat. Anna looked confused.

"What?" she asked.

"Ami might not be the only Hong Kong victim of your family," Tsuzuki explained. "There could be others, you know?"

"Well… why not ask?" his girlfriend offered. Hisoka shook his head.

"It's not that easy," he told her. The paperwork can take months for some cases." Anna's eyes dimmed.

"Oh," the woman murmured as she sat back on the futon, disappointed.

"Sorry," the look in Tsuzuki's eyes told her. His girlfriend came to her senses and looked at the list of names on the screen. All of these people, dead; it just made her sick. Anna couldn't hold back any longer.

"How many names are on that list?" she asked. Watari looked up at her.

"Close to three hundred, why?" he replied. Anna squinted at him.

"Three hundred… what?" she asked.

"Yes," blonde scientist said. "I can't believe it myself." Anna still looked lost.

"But…how? And why so many?" she asked.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," he replied. Anna flopped back onto the futon.

"This is all we have?" she complained.

"Afraid so," Hisoka replied. The woman sighed and stared at the ceiling. Tsuzuki and the others understood her frustration, but what could they do? Anna wanted to learn the truth before she died again. Yet, finding the pieces came slowly—almost too slowly.


	16. Doctors

_Chapter Sixteen: Doctors:_

The next morning, the boys gave Anna a special mission. They all planned this before she got up.

"Anna, go back to therapy," Watari told her. At first, she didn't get it.

"Why?" she asked. The scientist turned to her with a smile.

"Just go back to therapy," he said. She nodded once she saw where this plan was headed.

"Oh, I see." Anna said. So here she was again; only, not as a patient this time. Lucky for her, everyone was on staff today. Anna walked up to the reception desk. The girl on the other side ended her phone call as soon as she saw her.

"Hello, how may I help you today?" the receptionist asked.

"Ah yes, may I see your list of who's working today?" Anna asked. The other woman gave her an odd look.

"Sorry?" she asked.

"I need to see your list of who is working today," Anna repeated.

"Why?" the receptionist whispered. The woman leaned in close to the glass.

"I'm investigating the Nakata case," she whispered. The receptionist went quiet as she lowered her eyes.

"Oh," she mumbled, "One moment please." The woman reached into her desk for the file. She pulled out whole file and handed it to her.

"Here," she said. Anna took it with a smile.

"Thanks," she said before she headed out the door.

Outside, Anna took a seat on the front bench. She opened the file and began looking at the names. Twenty-seven doctors on staff today with nine that work with the university across the street.

"Yamashita, Ono, Miyazaki, Uchino, Seki, Suwa, Emoto, Watanabe, and Hosoda," Anna read. The woman pondered her options. She ruled out Yamashita already; that left eight doctors to question. Anna sat back and breathed out. She got up and headed back inside.

Anna returned to the desk. The receptionist looked as if she had seen the devil in this woman's eyes.

"Yes?" she asked in a shaking voice. Anna handed her the list with a photo of her uncle under the glass.

"Do any of them have ties to Kimoto-sensei?" she asked. "Look at it closely now!" The receptionist looked down at the picture with a pale face as she bit her lip. The other woman studied her closely.

_She's involved somehow_, Anna thought. The receptionist shook her head.

"No," she said in a high-pitched squeak. Anna narrowed her eyes at her.

"Don't lie to me," she said. The receptionist's eyes darted around as if to look for an escape.

_Oh no_, she thought. Anna slammed her palms against the desk.

"Listen," she said. "I don't think you understand the situation. A girl was murdered."

"Better for everyone; she gave us all hell. No one will miss her," the receptionist tried to reason.

"Her brother misses her!" Anna shouted through the glass.

"He's lying!" the poor cornered woman wailed. The potential patient gritted her teeth as her fuse was about to blow.

"She was three weeks pregnant!" she snapped. By this time, the people in the waiting room stared at her, but she shook them off. The receptionist went quiet as her stomach flip-flopped. She lowered her head defeated. Anna looked at the receptionist.

"Which doctor is working with Kimoto-sensei?" she asked. The shine in the lens of her brown and tan glasses dimmed further as she looked down at her desk.

"Yamashita-sensei," she mumbled. Anna shook her head.

"No," she said like a disappointed mother. "He was set up; who here is _really_ working with Kimoto-sensei?"

"Dr. Miyazaki," the receptionist admitted at last.

"Thank you," Anna said. "Is he here in the center now?"

"No!" the poor receptionist cried.

"Then, where is he? On break?" the other woman asked.

"At the university!" the receptionist confessed. "He works there on Thursdays and Fridays!" Anna backed up, satisfied with what she learned.

"Thank you," she said again as she bowed her head. The receptionist panicked as Anna turned and walked away. _Oh shit!_ she thought. The woman reached into her pink Hello Kitty purse and drew out her phone. She hit the speed dial for number one.

"Come on! Come on! Pick up, this is an emergency!" she mumbled. The receptionist gritted her teeth when she received no answer.

"Damn it!" she mumbled, "Voice mail." The woman tried to keep it enough to leave a message after the beep.

"Baby, she's onto us; this is bad! Look out and please call me back!" the receptionist said in rushed panic. She quickly hung up, but that didn't stop her heart from racing.


	17. Parallel Lines

_Chapter Seventeen: Parallel Lines:_

A tour group was walking around Kyoto. Anna's American friends stood out in the group. Clare's idea, really; she had taken control in the city. The rest of the girls were tired by this point. Heck, even Angie begged for a rest. Clare wouldn't hear it.

"We have to keep Becky busy enough to get her mind off of Anna," she reasoned many times. The other girls groaned as they knew this plan was bound to fail again. Becky still thought about her friend as she looked at the sites. This investigation got nowhere; even some of the girls were losing hope. Becky sighed as she looked at another temple. _If I could just see some sort of a sign that she's fine…_ she thought.

The tour group came to Kyoto University next. The upbeat tour guide turned to the people as they started taking pictures.

"And here is the University of Kyoto!" she chirped. As the tour guide got lost in her useless facts, Becky let her mind wander off. _Anna…_ she thought.

Suddenly, a flash of auburn caught her eye. Becky blinked hard under the warm sun. Am _I seeing things?_ she thought. She squinted for a closer look. A woman walked out of the psychology building across the street. Her shoulder-length auburn hair bounced as she moved. Becky's eyes shot bigger.

_That's Anna!_ she thought. Becky took a quick look around at her tour group. Her former club still listened to the tour guide talk on and on. Becky counted to three in her head and quietly crept away to the university. The woman trailed her friend to the back way. Anna came to the glass doors to find Tsuzuki waiting for her. Becky hid behind a tree and studied Tsuzuki for a long second.

_I've seen him before_, she thought. Tsuzuki looked up at Anna.

"Well?" he asked.

"There is a connection," she said.

"Just as we thought," Tsuzuki said as he pieced together what he learned so far.

"Now what?" his girlfriend asked.

"We find the doctor and work from there," he told her.

"Good, good," Anna said as she shuffled her feet. Tsuzuki noticed her changed body language.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a soft voice. Anna lowered her fists and shook her head. He lightly touched her shoulder.

"Come on, you can tell me," Tsuzuki murmured. Anna sighed as she glanced up at him.

"It's just..." she began to say.

"Just?" the shinigami asked.

"This is all getting to my head," she told him, "I don't know how much more I can take. It just keeps ripping at me." He lightly shushed her as he took her into his arms.

"It's okay, we'll work through this, I promise," Tsuzuki assured her.

"It's the waiting that's getting to me," Anna murmured.

"When we find the doctor, everything will get moving again," her boyfriend assured her. Anna looked him straight in the eye.

"You promise?" she asked. Tsuzuki patted her on the head.

"Yes, yes," he assured her. Anna began to loosen up and smile.

"Alright, I'll trust your judgment on this one," she said in confidence.

"Good, ready to do this?" Tsuzuki asked.

"I suppose," she replied.

Becky watched with her own horrified theories as they walked into the building together. _Anna's been tricked into prostitution and drug trafficking!_ she thought, _And that guy's her pimp! I have to save her and bring her home!_ Becky took a picture of them before they went into the university.

_I have to tell the girls!_ she thought. Becky hurried to catch up with the tour group. She whipped out her phone again and wrote a text to the former photo club.

"I found Anna! She's being sold like a whore and trafficking drugs. I saw her with her pimp! We have to save her quick!" Becky wrote. No sooner did she send the picture and message, the former photo club president remembered.

_I was talking to that guy months ago!_ She cringed at the thought. _And I told him about Anna too? He probably had her then too! Oh, I screwed up big time there!_ With that, she ran faster to find her other friends.


	18. White Crystals

_Chapter Eighteen: White Crystals:_

Anna and Tsuzuki made it to Miyazaki's office. The shinigami knocked on the closed door. The pair waited, but no one came out. Tsuzuki knocked again and received no answer. He looked over at Anna.

"Care to wait?" he asked.

"Like we have a choice," Anna muttered to herself. She began looking around the hall. Up ahead, she saw that same man and girl she spotted yesterday. They looked to be in a fight. Anna watched with a bad feeling. The man pushed the girl back roughly as she shut her eyes in discomfort. Anna nudged Tsuzuki on the arm.

"Asato-kun, look!" she whispered.

"Hm?" the shinigami asked as he looked up to see the fight escalating. The man slapped the girl in the face, causing her to whimper in pain.

"That's gone too far!" the shinigami hissed. They rushed over to the couple to break them up.

"Hey!" Anna barked, "Get off of her!" The other couple looked up. The man glared at Tsuzuki and Anna.

"Mind your own business!" he snapped.

"Get off of her!" Tsuzuki barked. He grabbed the girl and pulled her away.

"Hey!" the man snapped. He tried to lunge forward, but Anna blocked the way.

"Move it, bitch!" he yelled.

"No!" she snapped. The man pushed at her again. Anna turned to her boyfriend.

"Asato, take her and run!" she yelled.

"But what about you?" he asked.

"Take her and run!" she repeated.

"Right," he said with a nod. Tsuzuki took the younger girl by the arm and ran down the hall.

"Hey, come back here!" the other man yelled. He tried to go after them, but Anna grabbed him by the arm. He struggled to push her off.

"Let go, bitch!" he barked. Anna dug her nails deeper into his arm.

"No!" she snapped.

"Fuck off!" the man yelled. He pushed Anna to the ground, but Tsuzuki and the girl were already gone. He snorted to himself.

"Fuck this, I'm leaving," he mumbled to himself. Anna watched as the man took off in a huff.

"Yeah, you better run!" she shouted. The "gentleman" flipped her the bird as he disappeared from sight.

_Asshole_, the woman thought. Anna looked down the other end of the hall and rushed to catch up with her boyfriend and the victim. She found them in the university garden and flagged her arms up and down at the pair.

"Hey!" she said. Tsuzuki and the other girl looked up and saw her rushing toward them. She stopped in front of the pair to catch her breath. Tsuzuki looked her up and down.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah!" she said in between breaths. Anna turned to the girl.

"Are you alright?" she asked. The younger girl nodded as Anna sat down next to her.

"Who was that creep?" she asked. The girl shook her head while she looked down at her lap. Anna touched her shoulder.

"It's okay," she whispered. "You can tell us; we won't hurt you." The girl groaned and flinched away.

"Shhh," Anna whispered. "It's okay, it's okay." Tsuzuki watched the younger girl closely. This child's face and hands seemed to be of an unhealthy grayish-white. Her hands trembled many times. She refused to make eye contact with either one of them. Something seemed off about her. The handprint on her cheek added some color to her face.

"Listen," Anna whispered. "We want to help you, but we can't if you don't talk. Now, who was that guy hitting you?" The girl still didn't look up.

"He's my cousin," she mumbled. The couple looked shocked.

"What?" they asked. The girl pressed her lips together.

"I deserved it…" she mumbled.

"No one deserves to be hit like that," Anna argued. The victim shook her head.

"No, you don't understand!" she cried.

"Understand what?" Tsuzuki challenged. The girl kept her eyes to her feet. Anna turned her face to her. To her horror, she noticed it too. The girl's eyes looked glassy and glazed over, clear sign of drug use. Anna tried to play calm for a little longer.

"What happened to you?" she asked. The girl tried to look away.

"He's all I have," she tried to reason. "My parents and his parents all died years ago."

"So?" Anna asked. "You still don't deserve that kind of treatment!"

"Yes, I do, okay?" the girl snapped.

"Why?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Because I love him!" the girl snapped. "I love him and he loves me!" She broke down crying. Anna gently patted her on the back.

"Shhh," she whispered. "It's understandable for abuse victims to feel this way." The girl turned her head to her, glaring.

"I am not abused!" she snapped. "My cousin loves me! He was even my first!" A wave of shock slapped the other two in the face.

"What?" Anna shouted.

"I was twelve," the girl confessed. "I came home from school one day and heard some old rock 'n' roll music. I followed the sound to his room. I found him sitting on his bed with a needle in his hands.

"I stood in the doorway and asked what he was doing. He turned to me with a smile on his face and said, 'Here let me show you.' I sat down next to him on the bed. He took my arm and injected me with heroin. After that, he took me."

The girl looked up at the sky. "Ooo, that was the best day ever for me," she muttered as if only to herself. Tsuzuki's jaw just dropped.

"And… how old are you now?" he asked.

"Fifteen, why?" the girl answered.

"And how old is he?" Anna asked.

"He'll be twenty-three next month," the girl answered. "He's a graduate student here."

"I see…" Tsuzuki muttered as he didn't like the way any of this sounded. Anna couldn't take this anymore. She rose to her feet from the bench and stormed off. Tsuzuki stared at her, confused.

"Anna, wait!" he called after her. The shinigami leapt to his feet to catch up with his girlfriend.


	19. EdaKimoto Connection

_Chapter Nineteen: Eda-Kimoto Connection:_

"Anna, wait!" Tsuzuki yelled as he ran after her. "Come back!" Anna didn't stop and kept on walking.

"Anna, what's wrong?" he tried again. The shinigami managed to catch up to her when she stopped. She didn't speak with a cold look in her eyes that made him tremble. Tsuzuki lightly touched his girlfriend on the shoulder.

"Talk to me," he said. Anna clinched her fists.

"Twelve years old!" she said. "Twelve!"

"Yes," Tsuzuki said. Anna whipped around to him.

"That man is sick!" she cried. "How could he take advantage of an innocent girl like that?" Tsuzuki said nothing. Another storm was brewing before him.

"I know abuse victims deny their situation," she said. "But still…" Tsuzuki lightly held her shoulders.

"I know," he said in a low voice. She pushed his hands off of her.

"I want to hurt him!" she yelled.

"How?" he asked. Anna stared at as Tsuzuki waited until she was calmer.

"Tell me," he said. "What do you expect to do to her cousin right now?" Anna shook her head in frustration.

"Look," her boyfriend said. "I know you want to help, but there isn't much you can do at the moment."

"But I can't abandon her now!" she complained.

"Shhh, I know," Tsuzuki murmured.

"So what am I supposed to do?" his girlfriend asked.

"Calm down, first of all," he told her. "Work through this case and then tend to her. Okay?" Anna only pouted at him as she let her shoulders slump.

"Fine," she muttered. Tsuzuki gave her a kind smile.

"I just don't want you to charge in without a plan, okay?" he said softly. She sneered at him.

"Whatever," she muttered to herself. Her boyfriend put his arm around her.

"Very good," he whispered, "We'll go back to Miyazaki's office and wait, okay?"

"Fine, fine," she mumbled, still frustrated. They headed back into the building.

In a computer lab across from the garden, someone took another picture of the couple. Miyazaki-sensei looked at the screen. He had a debt to pay off. Last week, he came into contact with Shichiro. The professor kept up his end of the bargain. Now, the counselor had to do the same. At first, he couldn't think of much to offer. Sweet cakes for the kitsune weren't enough anymore. Miyazaki-sensei wanted to offer up something meatier. When he spotted Anna in the school library with Watari, hello payday! He had been stalking Daisuke's daughter since then.

Miyazaki-sensei smiled at the phone screen. He just confiscated it from an OCD patient this morning. She played into his plan so perfectly. _He's going to love this!_ the shriek thought. Miyazaki typed in Shichiro's number and hit send. He deleted the picture and shut off the pink and purple phone. Next was to avoid his office until they gave up for the day, but then that plan fell out of rhythm with a simple message.

Miyazaki-sensei happened to look down at his own phone when he felt it vibrate in his pocket. He sneered as he took a guess as to who it was. _What does she want now?_ he thought. The counselor drew out his phone and unlocked the keys. One missed call came from Ogami Miyuki. Miyazaki rolled his eyes. _She probably misses me in bed again_, he thought. The women in his life just couldn't let go. Miyuki was turning into a liability to him. Maybe he could offer her to Shichiro's kitsune one day. However, he decided to play the message just to humor her. The doctor went to his voice mail and punched in his password. Miyazaki prepared for more lonely whining. Instead he heard this, "Baby, she's onto us; this is bad! Look out and please call me back!"

Dr. Miyazaki froze at those words. He had to play it again to be certain her heard it right. Oh great, that was two people he had to sacrifice to the kitsune. However, he couldn't act just yet. Shichiro hadn't given him the order to do so yet. The doctor clinched his teeth. This was not what he had in mind when a made a contract with the Eda-Kimoto clan. Yet, he didn't have a choice at the time. He just had to be a good little tool and follow orders.

Miyazaki recomposed himself. Right, he needed some lunch. He peeked out the door and looked around the hallway. When the coast revealed no one in sight, he simply left the computer lab. No one noticed a thing.


	20. Safe Word

_Chapter Twenty: Safe Word:_

Hotaru couldn't take it anymore. She had to fix her problem with her housemates. Emiko was an S&M slut, Mike had gone back to his party boy ways, and well, she didn't know what Kazue was doing. The exile had affected them; they had been in the living world too long. She pressed her lips together firmly as she felt her stomach turn. This was as fun as getting a filling in her back teeth. She shuddered all over just thinking about what had to be done. Luckily, the demon had some help tonight.

Hotaru sat on the bed and waited in the dark. Her mind counted down to the confrontation. She even rehearsed what she was going to say. The loli demon glanced at the clock. Eleven o'clock flashed across the black screen. _Anytime now_, she thought with a bated breath. Hotaru lifted her head when she heard the door open. Emiko stood in the doorway looking in with a smirk came on her face.

"Hello there," she said. "How long have you been waiting there?" Hotaru gave her a serious look on her face.

"Emiko-sama, we need to talk," she said. The butch demon raised an eyebrow at her.

"Really?" she asked. Hotaru nodded at her. Her girlfriend closed and locked the door behind her with a hungry look in her eyes. Hotaru prepared for another attack. In fact, she counted down to it. Her girlfriend raced over to her and pinned her down onto the bed. Hotaru tightly shut her eyes.

She drew out a thin silver whistle from down her dress and blew on it hard. Emiko reeled back in pain, crouching on the bed and covering her ears. Hotaru sat up still blowing. The Hell Hound whistle was working; only the dead could hear the painful high-pitched wail. Hotaru had earplugs in herself. The loli demon let up on the whistle. Emiko looked up, glaring.

"Bitch!" she screamed. The butch demon lounged forward again, but Hotaru blew the whistle again. Emiko sank back in pain.

"Ahhh!" she screamed. Hotaru blew harder and then let up. Emiko came at her again and the same thing followed. This went on two more times before Emiko finally gave up. Hotaru breathed out before she spoke again.

"Look at you," the loli demon sighed. "What has gotten into you?" Emiko looked at her puzzled.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "I'm the same I've always been."

"No!" Hotaru cried. "You've been more aggressive than usual!"

"What?" her girlfriend asked, blinking.

"See?" the loli demon pointed out. "You have been blind to what is happening!" The butch demon tried to tackle her again, but Hotaru blew the whistle. Her girlfriend let up when Emiko shrank back in pain. The butch demon stared at her. Her girlfriend kept her serious face.

"See? You usually back off when I say no," she pointed out. "What has gotten into you?" Emiko began to tremble. Hotaru looked at her with an eyebrow raised as she lowered her head.

"Emiko-sama?" the loli demon asked. She braced herself for another attack, but Emiko lifted her head with heavy tears in her eyes. This stunned the loli demon. Emiko never cried at least not in front of her. The butch demon trembled.

"I'm scared, Hoto-chan!" Emiko cried. She rushed forward and hugged her girlfriend in a desperate embrace. Hotaru patted her on the back. This wasn't fake grief; Emiko was in serious pain. Hotaru leaned down to her ear.

"Shhh, it's okay," the loli demon whispered, "It's okay." She gently lifted her girlfriend's head and brushed away Emiko's tears with her thumb. "Come here," Hotaru murmured. She softly kissed her on the lips and pushed her back onto their bed. She unbuttoned her white shirt with such care. Emiko felt numb to the response as she heaved out a sigh.

"It's okay," Hotaru said like she was a mother calming down a scared child, "I will help you." She rolled off Emiko's jeans before she paused to get undressed herself. Her girlfriend watched her as she lied there and took it. Hotaru leaned down and kissed her on the neck. Emiko gave her a weak kiss on the head. The loli demon slid off her girlfriend's panties and took her into her arms. She softly kissed her on the collarbone. Emiko shut her eyes and took it all in.

Hotaru let her kisses trail down the butch demon's collarbone, chest, and abdomen. She slipped her tongue inside the wet folds. Her lover breathed as she took Hotaru's love between her legs. The loli demon drank up Emiko's pain and guilt with each wave. As she took in the taste that drove her wild practically every night, she came to a realization. Hotaru couldn't do this alone; she needed some back-up. The loli demon decided to take Emiko, Mike, and Kazue to Kyoto for purification in the morning.


	21. Rieko's Thoughts

_Chapter Twenty-One: Rieko's Thoughts:_

The crew met up in the library close to noon. Watari looked at the couple when they came over to the computers.

"Found Miyazaki?" he asked.

"No," Anna grumbled. The scientist tilted his head puzzled.

"What's with her?" he asked Tsuzuki.

"Don't ask," the older shinigami whispered.

"Ah," Watari said with a nod.

"What about you?" Tsuzuki asked. His friend grinned at him as drew out a bright red and black notebook.

"What is that?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Rieko's diary," Watari bragged. Anna's face twisted into a confused expression.

"But how?" she asked.

"We went through Rieko's dorm," Hisoka replied.

"Her things are still in her dorm?" Tsuzuki asked, blinking.

"Her parents haven't come for them yet," Watari replied. "It's all boxed up and sitting in the living room."

"Anything else you found?" Tsuzuki asked.

"We have more information on Shichiro," his friend replied with a grin. Tsuzuki and Anna looked at him with big eyes.

"Which one do you want first, the diary or Shichiro's information?" the blonde scientist asked.

"Diary," Anna spoke up. The boys looked at her as she shrugged.

"Why not?" she asked. "We might find out more about Rieko." Her tone sounded disappointed as she spoke. Watari gave her a sympathetic smile as he handed the diary to her. Anna took it with her before she headed further into the library.

She came into the study area and sat down at one of the tables. The woman looked at the cover. There was no cute design on the brown paper material and there wasn't a single scent on the pages, not really anyway. _I'm about to read the secrets of the dead_, Anna thought. The woman opened the journal and began reading.

_6/10/03:_

_I saw Masayuki-kun again. He looks like an angel. I want to get closer to him, but I am afraid. Everything I tough turns to poison. I don't want that to happen to such a beautiful boy. He deserves much more than me anyway._

_6/13/03:_

_My mother seems to have given up on me. She doesn't care about me anymore. I'm just a burden to her now. She even sees right through me now. Koichi, on the other hand, smothers me. He's on a mission to save my soul. I am a lost cause. Koichi doesn't understand that. He just won't leave me alone. Masayuki is the only one who understands me. But, I'll end up poisoning him._

_7/1/03:_

_I can't take this anymore! Nobody cares about me. I might as well be dead._

_8/4/03:_

_I hate my family._

Anna flipped through the angst-filled pages. They sounded the same at first. Rieko's many sexual conquests then followed behind; these read like a trashy magazine. They gave off the impression that she was bragging about each one. Anna wanted to turn away, but she had to keep reading. _I didn't expect she would be so graphic_, the woman thought. However, one sexual encounter stood out from the ones in '03 to early '05.

_4/30/05:_

_I have done something bad. Last night, I took Masayuki-kun's virginity. I wish I could say that I didn't know how it happened, but I do. He must have felt sorry for me and slept with me. I feel so guilty now. I know what's coming next. He's probably going to want a relationship with me. I can't do that. He is my step-brother. And plus he is still pure. A relationship between us will ruin him further. I can't even look him in the eye anymore._

Anna sat back in the chair. _Rieko really did love Masayuki_, she thought. That explained why she kept closing him out. It reminded Anna of herself years ago. The woman went back to reading the diary. The pages began to take a darker tone as Rieko sang praises about coke, pills, booze, pot, sex, and other drugs. They became worse with elaborate plans for suicide. Anna trembled at one point. Yet, that did little to prepare her for a bigger shock.

_12/31/08:_

_I have found a new man. He is a psychiatrist at Kyoto Psychology Center. I met him at a campus party. I was so drunk that he offered me a ride home. One thing led to another and we ended up making out in his car. We went into his house and he nailed me in bed. I felt like we connected last night. I think I'm truly in love._

Anna read fascinated and at the same time appalled about this affair that spanned from New Year's Eve '08 until Rieko's death. Rieko never said the doctor's name. Anna sat back with a pale face.

_Did Dr. Yamashita…_ she thought. The woman shook her head. _No!_ she told herself. _He's not like that!_ However, Anna remembered that Dr. Yamashita had something to tell her tomorrow. Her stomach turned as she thought about what it could be.

_Please don't let it be the affair! Please don't let it be the affair! Please don't let it the affair!_ she thought over and over. There was only one way to see for herself tomorrow. _My stomach hurts_, Anna thought with shaking hands.


	22. Yamashita's Confession

_Chapter Twenty-Two: Yamashita's Confession:_

_December 1st, 1999._

The fourth in-school session began today. Anna had to get up early for her appointments with Yamashita-sensei. Right now, she sat in his office. The good doctor sat before her at his desk. He hit record on the tape player.

"So Anna-chan, how are you today?" he began.

"Fine…" she mumbled. The good doctor frowned at her as she kept her eyes down in her lap.

"Look up at me when you talk," he told her.

"I'm sorry sir," Anna said as she lifted her head. He gave her a small smile.

"Much better, let's start again," Yamashita-sensei said. "How are you today?"

"Fine…" Anna mumbled again. The therapist raised an eyebrow at her.

"You don't sound fine," he said.

"What do you mean?" the student asked, caught off-guard.

"Your tone gives you away," the therapist said as he pushed up his glasses. Anna fidgeted with her hands.

"Oh," she said quietly.

"You're still adjusting, aren't you?" he asked. Anna nodded at him as her hands began to tremble.

"I see," Yamashita-sensei replied.

"Is that bad?" she asked with a trembling voice.

"Depends on how you would consider your condition," he answered as he took down a few notes.

"I don't know how to describe it," she admitted in a small voice.

"It's okay," he said in a calm voice, "These things take time to heal."

"Alright," Anna said as she looked down into her lap.

"Look up when you talk to somebody," Yamashita-sensei repeated.

"Sorry," his patient said in a small voice.

"You always look down when we meet," he pointed out, "Are you afraid me?"

"No," she answered.

"It's okay; I'm here to help you," Yamashita-sensei told her.

"I understand," Anna said in a low voice.

_August 18th, 2009._

In the morning, Anna walked up to the front desk and tapped the glass at Kyoto Psychology Center. Miyuki looked up at her with a pale face.

"Yes? How may I help you?" she asked in a trembling voice.

"I need to see Yamashita-sensei, please," Anna said.

"Why?" the receptionist asked.

"It's important; and don't tell me that I need an appointment to see him. You are in no position to turn me away," she said in a stern voice. Miyuki swallowed hard.

"Okay…" she said as she pressed the call button.

"Dr. Yamashita," she said.

"Yes," he replied back.

"You have a visitor," Miyuki said.

"Send them in," the therapist said.

"You sure?" she asked nervously.

"Yes," he replied. The receptionist sighed as she glanced over at Anna. The other woman gave her a little smile. Miyuki turned on the mic.

"Okay sir," she said. The receptionist turned off the mic. Anna smiled at her.

"Thank you," she said. Miyuki pointed down the hall.

"Right this way," she said.

"Gladly," the woman replied. Anna walked down the hall in victory. The receptionist could be used to her advantage, but right now time to talk to the doctor. Anna came up to her former councilor's office and knocked on the door.

"Enter!" a low voice commanded. The woman opened the door and walked inside. Dr. Yamashita was doing some paperwork when he looked up and saw his former patient.

"Oh Anna," he said. "It's you, come on in." She shut the door behind her and took a seat in front of his desk. The doctor put away his papers and turned his attention to her.

"So," Yamashita-sensei spoke up. "What brings you here?"

"What did you want to talk to me about three days ago?" Anna asked in a somber tone. The good doctor paused as his face went pale.

"Oh, uh…" he mumbled. Anna pulled out Rieko's diary.

"Has it something to do with this?" she asked. Yamashita-sensei's eyes grew big with shock.

"Where did you get that?" he asked.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Anna questioned. The doctor shook his head.

"That's confidential," he replied.

"But this is a murder investigation," Anna said back. Yamashita-sensei glanced down at his desk.

"You don't really need to know," he said in a quiet voice.

"What are you saying?" his former patient pushed. He reached forward to touch Anna on the hand.

"Just forget about this detail and clear my name out of this mess," her old mentor pleaded in a calm, desperate voice. Anna felt herself caving in once again after so long. Yamashita-sensei still had that calming effect on her. The tone of his voice and his touch put her back in their first session together in high school. Ten long years didn't change her old shriek at all.

Suddenly, Anna snapped back into reality and drew her hand away.

"No!" she barked. Her former shriek looked at her in surprise.

"But Anna…" he said. She shook her head.

"I am not your patient anymore, Yamashita-sensei!" she said. A nervous look came over his face in front of her. Anna looked him deep into his eyes.

"I have been doing some thinking," she said. "I wondered why you went straight to me instead of the police and I figured out why. You were thinking that you could still control me after all this time. Well, I hate to say it, but it's different now. I can't help you unless you tell the truth, understand?" The old psychiatrist stared on in discomfort. Anna pulled back.

"Now," she said. "Did you sleep with Rieko?"

"No!" he barked.

"She had an affair with a therapist here," the former patient said as she slammed her hand against the desk.

"Yes, but not with me!" Yamashita-sensei confessed.

"Then who?" Anna pressed. The old man broke out into a sweat as he felt the walls closing in around him at this point.

"Miyazaki-sensei!" he blurted out. Yamashita-sensei breathed before speaking. "Back in January," he began. "Hiroshi was bragging about his new lover. Curious, I asked who it was. At first, he wouldn't say. I didn't push it because it wasn't my business."

"But then Rieko came to you for therapy?" Anna asked. Her former therapist nodded grimly.

"Yes," he said. "I thought it was going to be a normal session, but then she started to talk about her boyfriend. I didn't ask too many questions at first. But, her dates sounded like Hiroshi's. So, I asked when she met her boyfriend. Rieko said on New Year's Eve at a party. I put two and two together and found out about the affair." Anna blinked at him as she took in the whole story.

"So, why did you terminate her therapy?" she asked. Yamashita-sensei pressed his lips together.

"I confronted Miyazaki about it," he broke down. "He denied it at first, but when I told him that Rieko was pregnant, he got scared. Feeling that she wasn't going to stop seeing him, I terminated her therapy to try and save them both."

"You do realize the baby was Masayuki's, right?" Anna asked.

"Yes, of course," he replied. "I didn't tell Hiroshi in hopes of scaring him into ending his relationship with Rieko." Yamashita-sensei froze in fear.

"Oh dear, I might have led the girl to her death after all," he said, going pale in the face. Anna patted him on the shoulder.

"Not intentionally," she told him. "Don't worry, I will clear you name." Her former therapist gave at her with surprised look.

"You mean it?" he asked. Anna gave him a stern nod. He bowed his head at her.

"I thank you," he replied. The woman had the truth she desired about her former mentor, but there was still a dead girl and baby and a mess to clean up.


	23. Shichiro II

_Chapter Twenty-Three: Shichiro II:_

Anna made it back to the house and found the boys had been waiting for her. She looked around at all of them huddled around Watari's laptop.

"Did I miss anything?" she asked.

"Not really," Tsuzuki said. "In fact, we found out more about your family's kitsune." Anna raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh?" she asked.

"Yes," Watari said. He turned the laptop and pointed to a chart of a kitsune on the left. A trim and glossy looking creature sat in the picture. "A copy of a kitsune needs souls to maintain its life force," he began. "The one on the left is what the copy is supposed to look like." Anna nodded as she studied the picture. Watari moved his finger to the picture on the right.

"This is Shichiro's kitsune," he said. Anna squinted for a better look.

"It looks puffier and duller than the other one," she said.

"Exactly," the scientist shinigami replied.

"Why is that?" she asked, looking up.

"Ah, you see, some of the kitsune in your family have a higher metabolism than most copies," Watari explained. "They burn souls almost too quickly though."

"How quickly are we talking about?" the woman asked.

"Weeks or days usually," Hisoka answered. "In your uncle's case, five days."

"It's a rare condition, really," Watari added. Anna tried to understand what she just heard.

"But shouldn't he be killing more because of it?" she asked.

"Correct," the blonde scientist replied.

"Then…" she began to ask. Watari held up his hand and smiled.

"Two things," he said. The man turned to his laptop and changed slides. "The tsukai take pills to sustain the kitsune and keep them stable between hunts," he explained. "They trick the kitsune into thinking they have already eaten a soul; probably why Daisuke never killed anybody." Anna gave him a funny look.

"He must have been taking them when I wasn't looking, because I never saw him take any pills of any sort," she said. That statement faded into the room. She kept finding out new disturbing things about Daisuke. First their family and now drugs; she figured it be best keep her mouth shut about Daisuke until she solved the whole puzzle.

"Anyway," Watari went on. He pulled up Shichiro's medical records. Anna's jaw dropped when she read the information.

"He's going through pills like candy!" she gasped. The woman looked up at Watari. "How did you access all of this?" Anna asked.

"I hacked into the university's infirmary records," Watari replied. "Never mind that now, look at the latest test result taken three days ago." Anna leaned in for a better look and raised an eyebrow at the screen.

"What's this spike in the blood work?" she asked.

"There is the problem at hand," the scientist answered. "Shichiro's body has started to reject the pills." Anna looked up at him.

"He'll die unless…" she said. "But, how is he going to…?" Watari grinned at her.

"Here's the other thing," he said. The shinigami drew out a picture from his pocket. "Meet his accomplice," he said. "Kimoto Amaya, his wife and your aunt. She helps with the kills." Anna was beyond shocked.

"What sane human being would want to marry any of them?" she almost shouted. Nobody dared to answer her. Anna breathed out roughly.

"Either way," Tsuzuki said. "You have any more information on Yamashita and Miyazaki, right?" The woman quickly recovered.

"Oh yeah," she said. "Turns out, Miyazaki was having an affair with Rieko. Yamashita found out and tried to scare Miyazaki into breaking up with her. When that didn't work, Yamashita terminated her therapy."

"I see," Tsuzuki spoke up at last. "It all makes sense." He looked at Anna. "Did he know the baby was Masayuki's?" the shinigami asked. Anna shook her head.

"Yamashita didn't tell him," she said rather grimly.

"I knew it," he mumbled.

"So, Miyazaki panics when he finds out that Rieko is pregnant and has her killed," Hisoka summed up.

"Exactly," Anna said. "So how do we catch him?"

"We'll have to trap him somehow," Tsuzuki answered, "But first, we need bait." Anna gave the boys a devilish grin.

"I know just where to get it…" she said.


	24. Drivin' Me Wild

_Chapter Twenty-Four: Drivin' Me Wild:_

The crew looked up when they heard the doors ripping open. Lucy and Stella looked in the house as if they hadn't eaten in days. The Goth slut smirked at the shinigami and Anna.

"Hey boys!" she purred, "Hey Barbie." Anna raised an eyebrow at her.

"Barbie?" she asked. Lucy only waved her off.

"How's it hangin'?" she asked. The boys looked pale.

"H-How did you find this place?" Tsuzuki stammered. Lucy turned to her friend.

"Care to explain, Stel?" she asked. The wolf demon gave them a proud smile.

"I sniffed y'all out," she explained as if talking about her weekend without a care.

"You what?" Watari asked.

"Wolf demon," Tsuzuki and Hisoka said in misery. Their friend took a closer look at Stella. She gave him a wink and a smile.

"So she is," he said. Nervousness became bitterness when Stella saw Anna. The burn flashed in her eyes. Lucy gave her a puzzled look on her face.

"Stel, what's wrong?" she asked.

"I can smell kitsune on her!" she hissed.

"Huh?" Lucy asked as she turned her attention to Anna.

"I don't know what you mean," the third woman lied. Stella came within inches of her face.

"Don't fucking lie to me, bitch!" she snapped. Anna took a step back.

"Okay," she said. "So I am a kitsune tsukai, but I'm not with my family." Stella glared at her. The boys watched with confused and worried looks on their faces. The women were talking so fast in English, but judging by Stella's face, she wasn't too happy about whatever this argument was about.

"Anna," Tsuzuki whispered in his girlfriend's ear. "What's going on?" The woman kept her eyes on the wolf.

"I think she knows about my family and me," Anna explained in Japanese. Her boyfriend shot a nervous glance over at Stella.

"Hey!" the wolf demon snapped. "Focus on me, bitch!"

"Excuse me?" Anna asked, starting to get offended.

"Lucy, do something," Tsuzuki pleaded.

"Fine, fine," the Goth brushed off with a shrug. She took Stella by the shoulders.

"Come on, Stel," she said. "Lay off of Barbie." Stella pushed her off.

"Don't you get it?" she snapped. "This bitch is part of the Eda-Kimoto clan I've heard about!"

"Really?" Lucy asked, turning to Anna. "This true, Barbie?" she asked. Anna pressed her lips together as she clenched her fists by her side.

"Yes," she hissed with her head lowered.

"See?" Stella snapped. "She admits it!" The tsukai woman jerked her head upwards with fire in her eyes.

"Yes, but I hate them!" Anna snapped. The wolf demon raised an eyebrow at her.

"Do you now?" she asked.

"Yes!" Anna screamed. "My Papa is dead because of them! Why would I want to associate myself with monsters that took away someone dear to me? What sense would that make if they were the people that killed me? Answer that, huh?!"

"Leave it, Stel," Lucy said. Her tone shocked the shinigami. If Lucy is starting to get concerned about someone causing a scene, that's a clear sign things are about to get ugly. The wolf demon chuckled to herself.

"Fine, fine," she brushed off, "I hear ya." Stella worked her way out of Lucy's grasp. The crew relaxed, but the black wolf demon shot a glance at Anna. "This ain't over, sweetheart!" the look in her eyes warned her. Anna narrowed her own eyes at her.

The night sedated everyone's moods, yet it wound up something inside of Hisoka. He couldn't keep it buried in his soul any longer. It didn't seem fair that Tsuzuki had been with him for close to fourteen years and never gave him a second look. However, his partner got to know Anna in five months and they were dating. Hisoka tried his best to keep a stiff upper lip and be happy for his partner. To his dismay, he found this wasn't working anymore and decided to tell Tsuzuki how he truly felt. The boy found his partner in his room once the hectic showdown had grown quiet. Hisoka peeked in to see if Tsuzuki was alone.

"Don't worry Hisoka-kun," the older shinigami said at the window out looking the pond in the back of the house. "She's out at the moment." Hisoka stepped into the room.

"You sure?" he whispered.

"Yes," his partner answered as he smiled to himself. Hisoka glanced down at his feet.

"Oh…" he mumbled. The body tried to form the words in his head. It all sounds backwards, slurred even. Just a few minutes ago, they sounded just the way that he wanted them to. The silence around him made it that much harder. Tsuzuki turned his attention away from the window to face his young partner.

"What's on your mind, Hisoka-kun?" he asked. The boy froze with a heavy heart.

"Uh…well…" he mumbled. What's the point? He already knew what the answer was going to be. Why bother coming out with it now after a month and a half? However, the boy had to say something. Hisoka drew his eyes closed. Why wasn't it coming out like he wanted it? It should have been simple with those three little words, right? He could do this even if he knew that he would be rejected. Tsuzuki gave him a patient smile.

"It's okay, Hisoka-kun," he murmured. "I'm always here for you." His young partner pressed his lips together as he drew open his eyes.

"I love you…" the boy mumbled, almost inaudible. Tsuzuki gave him a puzzled look.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"I love you," Hisoka repeated as he felt his nerve crumbling with each time he spoke those words. At first, Tsuzuki didn't understand where this was going. In fact, part of him hoped that he was hearing things.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I don't understand what you are trying to tell me. What do you mean?" Hisoka clinched his fists as his body trembled.

"I love you, you idiot!" he shouted. "I love you, okay?" Hisoka's cheeks went cherry tomato red. He looked up to see Tsuzuki still smiling as if to calm him down. His partner wanted to scream, "Stop smiling and say something, you idiot!" at him. Instead, Tsuzuki walked over to his side of the room and placed his hand on the shoulder.

"I am flattered," he said in a low voice. "I love you too, Hisoka-kun. It's just…" The boy could feel Tsuzuki's serene sympathy flowing through him. True, Tsuzuki loved him, but more like a younger brother than a lover. His heart belonged to her. Hisoka already saw this coming, but it still hurt him.

"So what do we do about this?" Hisoka asked, pushing his hand away. Tsuzuki gave him an understanding smile.

"That's up to you," he said. "Whatever you decided, I will always be here for you."

"Stop saying that," the boy mumbled. His kind words burned worse than the rejection itself.


	25. Cold Summer

_Chapter Twenty-Five: Cold Summer:_

The next morning brought serious work. The trap was set into motion; the crew even reluctantly let Lucy and Stella help. Anna went back to Kyoto Psychology Center to draw the bait. The color just drained from Miyuki's face the other woman walked up to the front desk. Anna's smirk could make Satan himself wet his pants.

"Hello," Anna said. Miyuki tried to hide under her mask.

"Can I help you?" she asked. Anna smiled and shook her head.

"Drop the act," she said. "We both know your involvement with this mess." The tone in her voice made the receptionist's blood run cold. Miyuki's eyes lowered down to her hands.

"Anyway," Anna said. "I came to see you." Miyuki blinked at her.

"Me?" she asked.

"Yes," Anna said, nodding. "We need you to come with us." The trapped receptionist gave her puzzled look.

"Why?" she asked. The other woman pressed her hand against the glass as she narrowed her eyes at her.

"You're not in a position to ask any questions," her captor reminded her. Miyuki swallowed hard.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked.

"Come to KU and make a little call to Miyazaki-sensei," Anna told her. Miyuki looked bewildered.

"What?" she cried. Anna gave her the look of Satan. The receptionist lowered her head.

"Alright…" she mumbled.

"Make the call," Anna said. Miyuki had the most bewildered look on her face.

"Wait, now?" she asked in a yelp. Anna's eye seemed to glow with fire that matched her wicked smile.

"Fine, fine," Miyuki said with a sigh. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed the number. Miyuki watched nervously as Anna waited. Her heart pounded with each ring.

"Hello?" a man's voice asked.

"Hiroshi-kun?" she asked.

"What is it, you useless bitch?" the psychiatrist hissed. The receptionist pressed her lips together. She glanced up at her captor as Anna pushed her to keep talking.

"Hurry it up! I don't have all day!" Miyazaki-sensei snapped. Miyuki swallowed hard.

"Baby, we have to talk," she said.

"Can't this wait?" he asked.

"No!" Miyuki cried. She was so loud that the people in the waiting room all turned their attention over to her. Anna calmly waved them off.

"It's okay, people," she announced. "There's nothing to see here."

"Why?" Miyazaki-sensei asked over the phone. Miyuki looked up at Anna. "I don't know what to say!" the look in her eyes pleaded.

"Make something up!" the other woman mouthed with no sympathy. The receptionist's hands trembled.

"It's really important! Just meet me at the university!" Miyuki pleaded.

"Whatever," her boyfriend muttered. He hung up on her. Miyuki looked up at Anna.

"What's happens to me now?" she whimpered.

"Get a stand-in and come on," the other woman said. Miyuki swallowed hard and nodded.

Miyazaki-sensei came from the nearby café to Kyoto University. He scowled over his steaming coffee. He'd rather be back at breakfast with his new younger potential girlfriend, but that foolish Miyuki had to call him away. She said she wanted to "talk." What did she want now? Miyazaki-sensei snorted over the steam.

_After this, I am giving her over to the kitsune!_ He found the receptionist standing out front, waiting for him.

"Hiroshi-kun!" she gasped as she stopped to catch her breath. "You're here!" The man sneered at her.

"What do you want?" he snapped. "What was so important that you had to call me from breakfast?"

"We have to talk," Miyuki said.

"About what?" he snarled. She quickly looked around before she leaned in close.

"Not here," she whispered in his ear. The therapist blinked at her.

"Where?" he whispered back.

"Follow me," his girlfriend answered with a knot in her throat. They headed into the university and she led him all the way to a small classroom. Miyazaki-sensei looked around confused.

"Uh…why are we here?" he asked. Miyuki didn't answer as she lowered her head. She flipped on the light. Miyazaki-sensei's eyes widened when he saw Yamashita-sensei, the dean, his boss, chancellor, Tsuzuki, Hisoka, Watari, Lucy, Stella, and Anna standing on the other side of the classroom.

"W-What's all this?" he asked, bewildered. The chancellor stepped forward.

"Miyazaki-sensei," he said, "Please take a seat." The therapist did so, eyes shifting.

"Okay," he said. "What is this about?" Tsuzuki stepped forward.

"We know you sent Rieko-chan to her death," he said. Hiroshi blinked before he gave off a small chuckle. The man shook his head.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," he lied. "I thought Yamashita here was working for the clan." Miyuki pressed her lips together.

"I told them everything," she murmured with her eyes to the floor. Miyazaki's charming mask began to crack.

"What?" he asked.

"They made me talk!" she wailed. "I'm so sorry!" Miyazaki-sensei's true ugly rage finally surfaced in public for the first time.

"Not as sorry as you're going to be, bitch!" he snapped. The man lounged forward to throttle her, but Stella managed to jump in the way just in time.

"Sit down, jackass!" she barked. It took a while, but Miyazaki finally calmed and sat down. He sneered at the jury.

"Yeah," he admitted at last, "So what?"

"Why?" Yamashita-sensei asked.

"Why what?" his colleague asked.

"Why did you kill her?" the old man questioned him.

"She was pregnant!" Miyazaki blurted out as he trembled with madness. "It wasn't supposed to go that far, but that silly girl couldn't take a hint! I admit that that sex with her was great, but she became too clingy. When you told me she was pregnant, I panicked. If word got out about her and me, I would have been screwed. My career, reputation— gone! I had to get rid of my mistake. Kimoto-san told me that her son was working here and…and…"

"You saw that as a way out?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Yes!" Hiroshi shouted. "I just couldn't lose everything that I had worked so hard for because of some unstable girl!" Miyazaki lowered his head. Anna shook her head.

"It wasn't your baby," she said. The shriek looked up.

"What?" he asked. "B-But… Makoto you said…" Yamashita-sensei nodded.

"Yes," he admitted. "That was to scare you into breaking it off with her. I didn't say it was yours." Anna pulled out Rieko's diary and opened it.

"Pink plus sign, I didn't want this. Things were going good in my life and then I get pregnant; a price for sleeping with Masayuki-kun ten nights ago. The worst part is my boyfriend doesn't know. I don't think I can bring myself to tell him." Anna read aloud. Miyazaki-sensei sat there pale. It all crashed before him: he killed an innocent mother and child. His boss stepped forward.

"Miyazaki Hiroshi," he announced. "You are dismissed from counseling at Kyoto University and the Kyoto Psychology Center for inappropriate conduct with a student and soliciting murder, in effect immediately!" The disgraced doctor sat there, empty.


	26. Blood Payment

_Chapter Twenty-Six: Blood Payment:_

-Last night-

Amaya and Shichiro lied in bed in a naked passionate embrace. Shichiro leaned in and nibbled on his wife's ear.

"Hiroshi says that Miyuki is becoming a liability," he whispered. "What should I do?" Amaya rolled over to her husband.

"Who's Miyuki again?" she asked. He pressed another kiss on her lips.

"The receptionist at KPC," he answered.

"Ah," his wife said. She kissed him on the throat. "Forget the receptionist," she said without missing a beat, "Kill Miyazaki." He gave her an odd look.

"What?" Shichiro asked. Amaya ran finger around in circles on his chest.

"He served his purpose," she explained. "Plus, he's gotten too cocky and careless. Also, he tried to grab my ass once." He smiled at his wife.

"Whatever you want," Shichiro said with a chuckle. She looked up at him.

"What?" Amaya asked with a curious look on her face. He kissed her on the tip of the nose as he held her to his warm body.

"Funny," Shichiro said as he ran his fingers through her dark purple hair, "You would usually want me to kill the women involved."

"So?" his wife asked.

"Why spare Miyuki?" the tsukai asked. She playfully nipped him on the chest.

"Ow," her husband murmured. She looked up with a smile.

"I'm not worried about her," Amaya confessed in confidence, "She's not attracted to you." Shichiro smiled as he patted her hair.

"Aw," he cooed. She nibbled on his chest again.

"You're mine!" his wife declared. He chuckled as leaned down and kissed her on top of her head.

"Yes I am," he purred. She lifted her head, smiling.

"I could say the same thing about you," Amaya pointed out. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Huh?" Shichiro asked. She cuddled close to him.

"You usually protest about a kill," his wife answered in a whisper. He shrugged and ran his fingers along her spine.

"Yes, and?" the professor asked. She kissed him on the chest.

"Why so agreeable on this one?" his wife asked. He knelt down and kissed her on the lips. She kissed him back. He softly moved his lips to her hot ear.

"That tickles!" she murmured in a giggle. He breathed on her ear.

"He's an appetizer for the biggest present I will have for you later," Shichiro whispered. Her eyes lit up like a giant Christmas tree.

"A present? What is it?" Amaya asked. He licked on her ear.

"You'll see the right day," her husband whispered.

"Aww, can't I at least get a hint?" his wife whimpered. He gave her a devilish smirk.

"I'll show you what it'll feel like!" Shichiro said in proud voice. He rolled her onto her back and pinned her by her shoulders. She smiled in a tasty way.

"Ooo!" Amaya cooed. He smirked as he pushed apart her slender legs and slid inside. Amaya moaned as she grabbed onto her husband's strong shoulders.

-Present-

Miyazaki was packing up his office. Everyone knew his little secret. Miyuki hated him now. Heck, everyone gave him a cold look. The disgraced therapist stuck up his nose and kept walking in response.

_I hated this place anyway_, he thought as he shoved away his pictures into a box. The man made plans while packing up. He called a friend after he got into the Kyoto Psychology Center parking lot.

"Hello?" he asked. "Ah, Ichigo, it's me. I have a favor to ask of you." The plans evolved from there. Miyazaki was going to stay with his friend in Osaka until he got back on his feet. What did these losers care? A knock came on Miyazaki's door.

"What do you want?" he snapped with a snort. The disgraced shriek's mood changed when the door twisted open.

"Oh professor, what are you doing here?" he greeted. Shichiro looked around in stoic silence.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Oh," Miyazaki replied. "They found out and fired me."

"I see," the professor replied. "About that, I need one more thing from you." The disgraced therapist raised an eyebrow at him.

"What do you mean? What is it?" he asked. Shichiro turned to the pawn with the hungry look of the devil.

"Professor?" Miyazaki asked as the man slowly walked closer to him. "Professor?!"

Minutes later, the secretary came down the hall to offer some help to Miyazaki with the packing. Along the way, she noticed Shichiro rushing past her. For a brief second, she could've sworn that his hands were covered in blood as he walked by to the double doors down the hall. When the secretary paused and turned for a better looked, he already vanished out the door. The woman squinted for a better look.

_That's Professor Kimoto_, she thought. _What is he doing here and… is he hurt?_ His bloody hand disappeared with him outside. Confused, the secretary walked on to Miyazaki's office. Her curiosity was heightened at the sight of door wide open. The woman peeked into the silent office.

"Dr. Miyazaki!" she called. "Do you need any help? Hello?" Her eyes trailed down to the sand white carpet below her. The whole building was drowned in her horrified screams.


	27. It's Not Over Yet

_Chapter Twenty-Seven: It's Not Over Yet:_

_January 8th, 1984._

Police crawled all over the Ogami-Kimoto house by morning. Ami was carried out in a body bag. Amaya and Shichiro put on a Golden Globe-worthy show.

"We don't know what happened!" Amaya lied. "I went to her room to serve her breakfast. When I found the door wide-open, I went in to investigate. I looked in and found her lying on the floor. The blood flowed out of her mouth! I didn't know what to do!" Ami's body was taken to autopsy. The doctor made the insinuation. One look inside made him and his assistant look like mindless corpses themselves. Ami's insides were just blood and mush. That's when they saw the burns on her wrists.

_August 25, 2009._

Police gathered around Kyoto Psychology Center by noon. Miyazaki-sensei was taken away in a body bag while police talked to the shaking secretary.

"There was blood flowing out of his mouth!" she cried. "I've never seen anything like it! It's the Eda-Kimoto curse, I know it! It was just like when that Hong Kong girl died years ago! Please let me go home! I don't want to be next!" The shinigami and women watched from the crowd.

"They got him too," Watari whispered.

"He was just a pawn to be used," Stella muttered with a snort. Anna only shook her head. She happened to look and see that girl and man again. They too watched from the crowd as they headed to school. Bruises covered the girl's arms and legs. She looked as if she would throw up at any given moment. The poor child could barely walk straight. Anna burned inside watching her. She wanted to do something, but a hand rested on her shoulder. Her eyes glanced behind her to see Tsuzuki shaking his head at her. Anna whipped around to him.

"But I can't stand by and do nothing!" the look in her eyes protested. He put his arm around her and walked her away from the crowd. For the longest time, she held her tongue as they came into the city. Once in the open, she couldn't hold back.

"I saw them again!" Anna wailed.

"I know," he said. Her fists began to tremble at her sides.

"I can't stand by and do nothing," she said. "That girl needs my help."

"I know," Tsuzuki repeated. Anna let out a frustrated groan. The shinigami watched her in another mental storm. Tsuzuki looked for a way to alleviate the situation. Two monks had just left a modern coffee shop across the street with green tea in their hands. Tsuzuki turned back to his girl with a calm smile on his face.

"Let's visit a temple," the shinigami perked up. Anna's mental storm faded into confusion.

"Huh?" she asked. Tsuzuki grabbed her by the hand teleported out of the city. They appeared in front of Nishi Honganji. Anna looked around.

"Why are we here?" she asked. Tsuzuki gave her a little shrug.

"Felt like it," he said.

"But what about Miyazaki-sensei?" his girlfriend asked.

"We'll get back to him later," he answered. "Hisoka and everyone else are still at the center."

"But…" Anna murmured. Tsuzuki gently put his finger to her lips.

"Shhh," he whispered. Anna opened her mouth to speak, but Tsuzuki shushed her again. This went on one more time before she gave up. Tsuzuki smiled at her.

"I needed to pull you away from there," he explained. "I won't let you do anything stupid, okay?" Anna frowned at him, but nodded reluctantly. Tsuzuki kissed her on the forehead.

"I know you want to help that girl because I want to do the same," he whispered. "We can't do that with you worked up like that, understand?"

"Whatever," she mumbled. Her boyfriend patted her on the shoulders.

"Okay," he said. The man led her into the temple.

Inside, Tsuzuki thought he was seeing things at first when two women at the altar caught his attention. The more he looked, the more it became apparent to him. One woman was dressed like a dude with jeans and a white man's shirt while the other one looked like a loli Goth. Tsuzuki's mind went into alarm.

"Anna," he whispered.

"Yes?" she whispered.

"Is that…?" her boyfriend began to ask. She nodded with pale face. Suddenly, Hotaru looked up and smiled at them.

"Hiya!" she cheered. She nudged her girlfriend on the arm. "Emiko-sama, look!" she said, loudly. The butch demon looked up and saw Tsuzuki and Anna staring at them. Emiko began to smile and wave. Shock became puzzlement.

"Wait a minute!" Tsuzuki said. "What are you two doing here?" Hotaru flipped back her ponytails.

"Oh," she said. "Just here for a little purification."

"Huh?" Anna asked. Hotaru giggled.

"The others have been straying a bit," she explained. "So, I brought the crew to clean them up." She put her arm around Emiko. "Isn't that right, baby?" she asked. Her woman nodded. Anna blinked.

"What's with her?" she asked.

"This was her day for cleansing," Hotaru answered. "Kazue was first, then Mike, and now my Emiko-sama." The other couple nodded, uneasily.

Hotaru led Emiko, Tsuzuki, and Anna walked through the temple like tour guide with a group. The other three went along with it without any questions and tried to look okay with this deal. Anna looked around and spotted her again. The same girl at KU was sitting alone on the bench, crying. The woman's rage reawaked. This was a bright girl with so much potential. Yet, the monster she was living with was raping and drugging her up. She had to do something.

Anna looked behind her. Tsuzuki went over with the demons further into the temple on the tour. They didn't seem to notice that she wasn't with them. Anna smiled at her opportunity. The woman turned back to the girl and saw her getting up to leave. She took one more look behind her before going after the girl.

Hours later, Tsuzuki, Emiko, and Hotaru returned to find Anna nowhere in their sight. Tsuzuki looked around for bright russet hair. When he didn't see the color anywhere among the crowd, he turned to the demons.

"Where's Anna?" he asked. Hotaru shrugged as she looked around.

"Don't know," she said. "Wasn't she with us earlier?" That question gave Tsuzuki the exact clue he needed. He ran all the way out of the temple.

"Tsuzuki!" Hotaru yelled. "Where are you going?"

"To stop Anna-chan from screwing up!" he yelled.

"What?" the loli Goth shouted. Tsuzuki was too far gone to hear her. Hotaru stood there with a blank look on her face. Meanwhile, Anna followed the girl home.


	28. Danger in Love

_Chapter Twenty-Eight: Danger in Love:_

Anna peeked from a car parked across the girl's house. She watched as the victim reached into her purse for her keys. Her greenish-pale legs looked so skinny. Anna shook her head. _What a shame_, she thought. The woman was about to move out when someone grabbed her on the shoulder. She felt herself being pulled to her feet and being dragged away. The woman tried to fight them off.

"Let me go!" she screamed. "I'm on a rescue mission here!" She managed to pick them off of her. Anna whipped around to see Tsuzuki standing before her.

"What are you doing?" his girlfriend yelled.

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied. Anna pouted at him.

"I'm trying to save her!" she shouted.

"And I'm trying to stop you from doing something stupid," he said back.

"But I have to save her!" Anna protested.

"How?" Tsuzuki asked. His woman went quiet. She didn't really have a plan up to this point. Anna looked down at her feet in defeat. Tsuzuki gave her a calm smile as he patted her on the shoulder.

"This is what I was trying to tell you," he said. "There is a better way to handle this." Anna huffed out a breath.

"How?" she grumbled. Tsuzuki reached into his coat and pulled out a sheet of paper. Anna took it and read it to herself. The woman slowly looked up.

"Child protective services?" she asked. Tsuzuki nodded.

"Ah," she said. "When did you get this?"

"This morning," he replied.

"But why didn't you tell me?" his girlfriend demanded.

"You weren't listening to me," Tsuzuki answered. "I was going to wait until you calmed down to tell you." Anna stood stunned. _He did care after all_, she thought. Suddenly, Tsuzuki's cell phone buzzed.

"Hang on," he said. The shinigami pulled out his phone and looked at it. "Watari sent us a text," he said.

"What did he say?" Anna asked. Both read the text.

"Got Miyazaki's autopsy report," Tsuzuki read aloud. "His insides were turned to mush and blood, just like Ami's." Tsuzuki showed Anna the screen.

"So what does this mean?" she asked. Tsuzuki lowered his phone.

"It's probably going to fall into Hong Kong's Meifu now," he said.

"What?" Anna asked in dismay.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured.

Meanwhile that night, Shichiro playfully came up behind Amaya and covered her eyes. She giggled aloud.

"Baby," she said. He turned her around to face him. She smiled and giggled at her husband.

"Did you do it?" she asked. He kissed her on the lips.

"Do what?" he asked back at her lips.

"Kill Miyazaki," Amaya said. He smiled wickedly at her.

"Yes, my lady," he replied. The husband pulled in closer with his left arm.

"Prove it to me," she commanded. Shichiro held out his right hand coated in blood. Arousal filled his wife's eyes.

"No one else saw you, right?" she asked.

"I called in sick and stayed at a house that one of mama's friends owned," he said. Shichiro nibbled on his wife's neck.

"Brilliant!" Amaya squealed.

"You know, that kill has me all worked up and needing to burn off that energy!" he whispered loudly in her ear. His wife smirked at him.

"Oh? And how exactly do you plan to do that?" she asked in a purr. He kissed her on the lips. Shichiro lifted Amaya onto the kitchen table and sat her down as she happily kissed back. Her husband smirked at her as his wife spread her legs for him.

"Good girl," he murmured. Shichiro reached forward and grabbed onto her short black and red dress. She held up her arms as he slid it off of her like a glove. He grabbed onto her little black panties and slid them off. Amaya moaned as his hands brushed against her breasts while removing the black lace of her bra. The man took a breather to behold her while he licked his lips at his wife. Amaya smirked at him.

"And what about you?" she purred. He eyed her like a fox.

"What about me?" Shichiro asked with hunger in his voice.

"You're overdressed," she said as ran her finger down his white t-shirt.

"Don't worry dearest; that's coming!" her husband announced. His wife watched on in lust as he stripped himself down. He stepped out of his boxers once they hit the floor and moved closer to her. Amaya wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Mmm, take me! I am yours!" she commanded. Shichiro smirked hungrily at her.

"Good girl!" he told her. The man proudly took his mistress wife like a wild animal his mate. Their wedding anniversary was coming up in five days and Shichiro had the perfect gift in mind.


	29. Conflict

_Chapter Twenty-Nine: Conflict:_

The shinigami hit a small problem: Shichiro was no longer just Japan's burden. Her name was Ami Wong. At age nineteen in 1983, she ran away to Japan. On the night of January seventh, she died. In Hong Kong, the case went cold, but not true for their Meifu. That itself was the problem. The Eda-Kimoto clan had killed Americans in the past. That was different, however. The US and Japan had an extradition treaty. Not so much with Hong Kong. The boys sat around discussing this.

"I told the chief," Hisoka said.

"And what did he say?" Tsuzuki asked.

"We could get papers on him, but it would take time," his young partner replied.

"How long?" Watari asked.

"Months at most," Hisoka replied.

"Months?" Tsuzuki asked.

"I'm sorry," the boy replied.

"Damn it!" his partner cursed.

"Are we going to pursue it?" Watari asked.

"Yes!" Tsuzuki said. The other two stared at him.

"Tsuzuki?" Watari asked. The shinigami lowered his head.

"We have to," he said. "For her!" Hisoka shook his head.

"Don't let your emotions overpower your judgment," he warned his older partner. Tsuzuki clenched his fists.

"I'm not!" the man argued back. He took in a deep breath. "I just can't stand to see her powerless against them," Tsuzuki reasoned. "She wants to fight back." He looked up at his coworkers. "I want… I have to help her," Tsuzuki insisted. The other two could see his motive for this case. Hisoka felt his stomach turning as he felt his partner's love for Anna flood him. He tried to keep down the hurt. Watari understood the situation. He lightly touched the older shinigami on the hand.

"It's okay," he said. "We'll get the paperwork." Tsuzuki's eyes widened.

"Really? You'll do that?" he asked in an excited tone. Watari nodded.

"We will help both of you," he promised. Tsuzuki smiled and bowed his head.

"Thank you, Watari!" he cheered. They turned to Hisoka. He blinked at them.

"What?" he asked.

"What about you, Bon?" Watari asked.

"Uh…" the boy said. Tsuzuki reached forward and took him by the hands. Hisoka tried to swallow the desperation flooding through him. His partner's violet eyes trapped him.

"Won't you help me?" Tsuzuki murmured. Hisoka lowered his green eyes. This was not right; sure, they needed the paperwork for the case, but the motives were all wrong. Tsuzuki was starting to make this personal. This would lead to more mistakes driven by emotion, but Tsuzuki really wanted this. Hisoka sighed, defeated.

"Fine," he grumbled. "We'll get the paperwork!" Tsuzuki's smile stretched across his face.

"Oh thank you, Hisoka-kun!" he cheered as he hugged his young partner close. The boy managed a smile of discomfort. Tsuzuki quickly let go.

"This is great!" he cheered. "I have to tell Anna!" The shinigami raced to his room. Hisoka whipped around to Watari.

"Why did you do that?" Hisoka asked, hurt. Watari gave him a kind smile.

"It's better this way," he reasoned. Hisoka looked down at his hands in his lap and noticed them shaking.

"I feel sick," he muttered.


	30. Soft Night

_Chapter Thirty: Soft Night:_

Tsuzuki made it back to his room to find Anna sitting on the futon waiting for him. She looked up when she heard the door open.

"I talked to them," Tsuzuki said as he closed it behind him. The blank expression on Anna's face didn't change.

"And?" she asked.

"We'll get paperwork, but it'll take months," he said. "Think you can wait that long?"

"Yes," she replied. Tsuzuki looked through the darkness and noticed that Anna was smiling.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yes," Anna repeated. "I'll wait through my second death if I have to." Tsuzuki gave her a small smile.

"Well okay," he said. Anna lied back on the futon.

"Come to bed with me," she murmured. Tsuzuki gave her an odd look.

"We can't… you know…" he said. Anna gave him a small chuckle.

"I know," she replied. "That doesn't mean we can't cuddle."

"Oh," he said, smirking. She rolled over on her stomach, giving him a sensual gaze.

"Come to bed?" she offered again in a husky, flirty voice.

"Sure," he said. The shinigami crawled into the futon with her and took her into his arms. He kissed her on the head. She glanced at him.

"How are things with you and Hisoka?" she asked. Tsuzuki sighed at her question as he looked out into the darkness of the room.

"He still loves me," he admitted with a hint of melancholy in his voice.

"What?" Anna asked with her mouth wide open. Tsuzuki licked her on the neck.

"Yeah," he murmured against her skin.

"What will you do?" his girlfriend asked, relaxing her body against his chest. Tsuzuki ran his fingers through her russet-auburn hair. She could feel his heart beating with her back. He rested his chin on her head.

"That's his decision to make," Tsuzuki answered.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" she asked. Tsuzuki's arm went under her breasts.

"This is his path; I can't help him with his battle," he replied. "Besides, I don't think he'd want me to help anyway." The last part was said in a chuckle. Anna smiled in attempt to comfort him.

"Maybe," she whispered. Tsuzuki's hand found her right breast. He moved his other arm under her chest.

"Ooo," Anna murmured as he seemed to grab onto her breast. Tsuzuki gently nuzzled her neck.

"And what about you?" he asked. Anna glanced up at him.

"Hm?" she asked.

"What will happen to Yamashita-sensei now?" the shinigami asked.

"He'll get his job back at the university, I guess," his woman answered with a shrug. Tsuzuki licked her on the ear.

"It's not over yet," he whispered.

"Yes," Anna whispered back.

"We still have your uncle and his wife to deal with," her boyfriend added.

"I know," Anna forced herself to say. He could hear the discontent in her voice. Tsuzuki gave her nape a gentle kiss.

"We never did finish out date," he murmured in her ear. Anna looked up with a big smile.

"What are you suggesting?" she asked with a hint of mischief. Tsuzuki nibbled on her nape.

"Let's finish it tomorrow," he whispered with excitement in her ear. His woman gave him a coy look.

"But you have work," she said innocently. Tsuzuki nibbled on her ear as his hand playfully groped her breast.

"I can squeeze that in somehow," he proposed.

"You can?" Anna asked.

"Let me show you tomorrow," her boyfriend purred. His other hand found her left breast and began stroking on it while he nipped at her neck. Anna shut her eyes and whimpered.

"Alright," she broke down and said. Tsuzuki's hands kept at their work as he licked her the place where he marked her with his teeth. He held her closer to him.

"I won't disappoint you," he whispered. Anna took in a small breath.

"To which—the date or the case?" she said in a moan.

"Both," he murmured with his eyes closed.


	31. Anniversary Plans

_Chapter Thirty-One: Anniversary Plans:_

_August 26th, 2009._

Amaya cleaned up the kitchen for the morning. Suddenly, she felt a strong pair of arms embrace her from behind.

"Whoa!" she said in a giggle. The woman felt herself being lifted up and carried into the bathroom. Amaya laughed the whole way.

"Shichiro-kun, you naughty boy!" she exclaimed. Her husband sat her on the sink counter. The professor had the hungry fox eyes again. He licked his lips at her.

"Oh professor," Amaya cooed. "We just did it earlier!"

"I know, but I want to talk about our anniversary," he replied.

"Ooo, what about it?" she asked. He kissed her on the lips. She happily kissed her back before the man slowly pulled away. He smirked at her.

"How would you like to get away this year?" he asked as he slid off her black t-shirt. Her eyes lit up bright.

"Really? Where?" she asked.

"Oh," he said as the shirt hit the floor. "I know a secret couple's retreat in Kyoto." His hands rubbed all over her bare skin. The touch sent little shivers up his spine.

"Ooo, go on!" she whimpered. Her husband glanced at her.

"With which? The trip or this?" he asked. Shichiro's hands went up to her breasts. Amaya closed her eyes to take him in as his fingers squeezed tightly.

"Both!" she whimpered.

"You sure?" he asked with his eyes focused on her.

"Yes!" his wife cried out.

"Okay then," Shichiro said with a smirk. His hands found her strapless red bra. Shichiro began to free the hooks as he let his fingers curved around the lace. His wife moaned.

"Oh baby!" she whimpered. The sound of her voice crying out in pleasure made him even hungrier. It took all of his being to pace himself and keep talking.

"As I was saying," her husband went on as the bra joined her shirt. "It's a beautiful retreat, nice hot springs." Amaya licked her lips at his body while he slid off his own shirt.

_Oh my, has he been working out lately? _Her cheeks reddened as the heat between her legs increased. Shichiro chuckled at her before his hands found her skirt.

"We can order room service," he told her. The masculine hands unzipped the feminine skirt. "Plus, we'll have parties for two."

"Mmm," his wife spoke up. "Any kills?"

"Oh yes!" her husband exclaimed, letting his hands played with the sides of her white and red frilly panties. Shichiro glanced at her. "You want me to take these off, don't you?" he purred. His fingers massaged the sides of her thighs. Amaya threw back her head, moaning.

"Yes! Tell more about the kills!" she cried loud enough to be heard from outside. He smiled and shook his head at her.

"Sorry, those are part of tour present," he told her with a goofy little smile on his face. "You don't want me to spoil that, do you?"

"Please don't tease me like this!" his wife complained with such need in her voice. Shichiro raised an eyebrow at her.

"To which—this or the kills?" he asked. His fingers tightened their grasp around the satin of her panties. His right thumb began to tip into dangerous territory. His wife gripped the edge of the counter below her.

"Both! Oh!" she yelled. Her husband smirked as he grabbed onto her panties.

"Sorry I can't tell you about the kills," he replied. She whimpered at him. Shichiro gave her a wicked chuckle.

"But, I can give you this," he said with a little sympathy in his voice. He slowly rolled down her panties. Amaya spread her legs for him, but Shichiro's smile dimmed.

"But we have a slight problem," he confessed. Amaya looked at him oddly.

"What?" she asked. He unfastened and unzipped his jeans.

"Yes, the shinigami are involved, but, don't worry," the husband said with a serious look on his face.

"Why is that?" Amaya asked.

"The little one has unsettled feelings about his partner," Shichiro whispered in her ear. "The kitsune showed all of this earlier this morning. I plan to use his emotions to my advantage." He dropped his jeans. "As for his partner, I'm going to deal with him through the people he loves!" he said with his tone picking up in a new wave of hunger. "What do you say to that?" Amaya looked on with a wide open mouth and burning red cheeks for Shichiro wasn't wearing any boxers. She nodded and her husband smirked at her.

"Good girl," he purred. Shichiro stepped forward and nailed her. He didn't even reveal the best part: the part with Anna. No, that was the core surprise itself. He couldn't focus on that; he had a mistress-wife to pleasure. _She's like a drug!_

He let the excitement overtake him as he reached his climax.


	32. Trust the Angel

_Chapter Thirty-Two: Trust the Angel:_

_Anna slowly opened her eyes and saw darkness all around. She felt an eerie tightness around her neck as if a rope was strangling her. The woman's eyes jerked forward and found violet blank eyes in front of her. Anna's own eyes trailed down to her throat. He had thin red ribbon wrapped around it, being pulled tighter and tighter. Anna looked up at him again to see nothing in his eyes- no malice, no sorrow, nothing._

_Strangely, she didn't fight back. She couldn't explain why; Anna just let him strangle her. The ribbon tightened around her throat. Anna shut her eyes. Tsuzuki held the ribbon around her neck until his beloved angel passed out. He let go of the ribbon and embraced her. The shinigami gave her a kiss on the lips._

Anna opened her eyes to the dimly lit room. She put her hand over her throat. No red ribbon there as far as she could feel. The woman glanced beside of her to find Tsuzuki peacefully asleep. Confusion filled her mind. What was that about?

The woman crawled out of the futon and over to her bag. Anna sat against the back wall and started writing.

_8/26/09_

_Had another strange dream; not about the woman in ribbons this time. My Asato-kun was strangling me. This is the strange part: he wasn't doing it out of hate. There was nothing there; his eyes were just blank. Also, I didn't resist or struggle. I just…let him strangle me. I don't know why; I just did._

Anna read over her entry. No more words came to her, so she closed her journal and crawled back into the futon. She huddled up close to Tsuzuki and closed her eyes.

In the early morning hours, Tsuzuki awoke. A warm smile spread across his face as his eyes rested upon Anna's resting face. His fingers gently caressed her cheek. Anna's eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Good morning," Tsuzuki whispered. Anna managed to give him a little smile.

"Morning," she whispered. Tsuzuki gave her little kiss on the nose. It was then he noticed the doubt in her eyes.

"What's wrong, Anna-chan?" the shinigami whispered. The woman's smile dropped. No use hiding from each other. Anna shook her head.

"Nothing," she mumbled. "It's just another strange dream again." Tsuzuki made a face at her.

"About him again?" he asked. Anna shook her head.

"No, nothing like that," she answered. "I had strange dreams in college. They're kind of hard to explain. One is always a woman wrapped in red ribbons."

Tsuzuki narrowed his eyes at her. "What does that mean?" he asked. Anna shrugged as she shook her head.

"I've never been able to figure that out," she replied. "They make no sense to me."

"Did you see that woman again last night?" her boyfriend asked. Anna swallowed as her eyes shifted away from her lover.

"You promise you won't freak out if I tell you?" she asked reluctantly.

"Why?" Tsuzuki asked. Anna shut her eyes.

"Just promise me," she insisted as she battled to keep a clear. Tsuzuki took hold of her hand.

"Alright, I promise," he told her. Anna hesitated as she bit her lip before opening her eyes.

"I was dreaming that you were strangling me," she admitted in a slow, steady voice. Tsuzuki made an odd face at her.

"Why would I do that?" he asked. Anna shook her head.

"I don't know," she admitted. "There was nothing in your eyes. It was as if you weren't there. On top of that, I didn't put up a fight. I just let your strangle me until I passed out. Afterwards, you let go of the ribbon you had around my neck and kissed me." Tsuzuki held her close to his body. Anna looked up with rather surprised eyes.

"Asato-kun…" she murmured.

"I would never try to harm you," he whispered in her hair. She closed her hand into a fist against his chest.

"I know that," she whispered as if to reassure herself. Tsuzuki breathed in her hair deeply.

_Anna-chan_, he thought with a sinking heart.

"I trust you; now and forever," Anna declared out loud.

"I trust you too," her boyfriend said back. That didn't do much to ease Anna's worry one bit. She did trust him and she knew that it was the same case with him to her. That didn't mean they wouldn't be tested. That itself made the woman rather nervous. _Will I trust him enough not to kill me?_

"Want to go away somewhere?" Tsuzuki asked her.

"And go where?" Anna asked as she looked up at him. Tsuzuki shrugged with her in his arms.

"Just anywhere," he replied.

"Anywhere?" his girlfriend asked. He kissed her on the head.

"You trust me, right?" the shinigami asked. Anna smiled to herself.

"Yes, I do," she murmured. Tsuzuki rubbed on her back.

"Okay, we'll head out tonight," he announced. Anna glanced up at him with a strange look in her eyes.

"Tonight?" she asked. "Why then?" The shinigami gave her an innocent look.

"Don't know, just felt like it," he replied. "Trust me on this." Anna sighed and shook her head with a smile on her face.

"Okay, okay," she said, content. Her man patted her on the head.

"You won't be disappointed," Tsuzuki assured her. Anna smiled to herself in his arms.

"I know I will," she said in a whimsical mood. "I trust you after all."


	33. Panic Bells

_Chapter Thirty-Three: Panic Bells:_

On that same morning, Becky called a little meeting in the hotel lobby. The other girls wished to be back in bed. Gillian's worn out face spoke volumes.

"Why are we all up again?" she mumbled. Becky paced around in front of the TV with pale knuckles.

"I found Anna," she said. Some of the girls looked shocked.

"What?" they asked. Gillian raised an eyebrow at her.

"Are you sure?" she asked. Becky showed them her phone. Everyone crowded around to see Becky's picture of Anna with Tsuzuki.

"You sure it's not someone else?" Gillian asked, blinking.

"Oh, trust me!" the leader said. "I know Anna when I see her!"

"Who's the guy with her?" Clare asked. Becky's face became grim.

"Her pimp," she replied. The girls were as shocked as her, but Gillian gave her an odd look.

"What?" she asked. Becky took in a quivering breath.

"It's just as I thought," she said. "Anna's in serious trouble." Gillian thought about this whole theory.

"Okay," Gillian said. "So you claim Anna's alive."

"Yeah," Becky said.

"And she's in trouble?" the Pink Floyd fan asked.

"Yes," the leader said, nodding. Gillian looked at the picture again.

"And this is her pimp?" she asked.

"Yes!" Becky nearly shouted. Gillian made another face.

"Do you have any proof to back this up?" she asked in a slowed down rhythm. Becky switched to voice recording and played the conversation for the girls to listen.

"Okay," Gillian said. "And you're sure about this?"

"Yes!" Becky shouted. Gillian nodded in an attempt to humor her desperate friend.

"So, what are you going to do?" she asked. Becky stood still as she tried to calm herself down to think with what little ration that she had.

"We have to tell her aunts," she said. The girls all looked at her like spooked forest animals.

"What?" they asked.

"No!" Amy cried.

"What do you mean no?" Becky asked before her friend shook her head.

"Think about it," Amy reasoned. "Would you want to hear that your niece is a whore in a foreign land if you were them?" The rest of the former club thought about that.

"She does have a point," Gillian said.

"So what do we do?" Becky asked.

"Call the police?" Clare asked. Becky looked wary.

"They are probably sick of hearing my voice," she mumbled. "Besides, they might not believe me." Gillian stood up.

"I'll call them!" she said. The girls all looked at her with wide eyes.

"You would do that?" Becky asked. Gillian threw her hands up in the air.

"She's in trouble as you say, right?" she asked. "So, I'll make the call."

"But will they even believe you?" the leader asked.

"I'll work something out," the Pink Floyd fan replied. "You just find a way to break the news to Ms. Parkman and Ms. Kessler." Becky blinked at her.

"How?" she asked.

"I don't know," her friend said. "Use your social butterfly charms or something." Gillian walked over to her shoulder bag.

"What are you doing?" Clare asked.

"Calling the cops," her best friend replied as she looked for her phone. "I have to go out in the hall to make the call. Reception sucks in this place!" The woman found her phone and went out into the hall. The rest of the former club watched as Becky cleared throat.

"Right… I guess I could make that call now," she mumbled. The other girls nodded. The leader pressed her lips together.

"Okay," she said. Becky took her phone and headed onto the hall after Gillian. _Better soften it the best way I could. Why do I have to do this part?_


	34. Dark Carnival

_Chapter Thirty-Four: Dark Carnival:_

Shichiro looked out the window of his bedroom at the street below. Kohaku floated over to the old professor. Shichiro smiled to himself.

"Ah Kohaku," he cooed as he patted the kitsune on the head. The creature's ear laid back as it took in the affection.

"You summoned me, my lord?" Kohaku asked.

"Mmm," Shichiro replied. "I have a job for you." Kohaku's head perked up.

"Ooo," the kitsune said. "What is it?"

"I want you to take care of some pesky shinigami for me," the professor said. Kohaku felt like flying high in the sky. Shichiro petted it to keep it calmer.

"I'm not done yet," he said. Shichiro blew on the glass. The kitsune looked along with him as Hisoka's image appeared before him.

"The little one here will be your target," Shichiro replied. "He seems to have developed some strong feelings for his partner." He looked at his pet with a deviant smile on his face. "Now," he said. "I want you to exploit him. Get inside his head. Use his feelings against his partner and Anna. Can you do that?" Kohaku squinted and frowned.

"Yeah, but…" it replied.

"What's the matter?" the master asked with an eyebrow raised. The kitsune glanced at him.

"It's just, why him? " it asked. "Why not go after your niece? She is the real target, isn't she?"

"Ah, you are familiar with the domino effect, right?" Shichiro cut in.

"It's where one domino falls and the rest follows, yes?" Kohaku asked.

"Correct, and the little one is the first domino," the master summed up. The kitsune nodded as it said where Shichiro was going with this plan.

"Oh, I see!" it said, licking its nose afterwards.

"So, you up to the job?" its master said. Kohaku grinned and nodded.

"Yes my lord," it replied. "I won't fail you." The kitsune vanished. Shichiro smirked to himself as he looked back out the now-clear window.

_And so the present begins_, he thought.

On that same morning, Hisoka peeked into Anna and Tsuzuki's room. His heart sank when he found it vacant as he wandered further inside. The futon still looked slept in. The boy knelt down on the sheets. His fingers touched Tsuzuki's pillow.

_Still warm…_

"Isn't it?" a voice asked behind him. Hisoka froze in place.

"Who's there?" he asked. The room suddenly became veiled in black. The shinigami jerked around.

"It's only me," the voice said. A child stood in the open darkness. Could be a boy or a girl, Hisoka wasn't sure. It looked about eleven or twelve tops, maybe thirteen. The child had snow white robes on with equally snow white hair and blood red eyes. Hisoka squinted for a better look through the overpowering white. Alarm shot through his brain when he caught a look at the child's true nature for only a second.

"You're a kitsune!" he exclaimed. Kohaku giggled. The beautiful sound made the shinigami cringe with dread.

"Very good," the child said. Hisoka looked around for a weapon. The child shook their head at him.

"All that's not necessary," it said. "I just want to talk." Hisoka didn't trust the child; the cold look in his eyes said it all. Kohaku shrugged at him.

"Fine, I'll talk then," it said. Hisoka glared at the child.

"Geez, not exactly friendly, are you?" Kohaku asked. "Anyway, I can see your feelings. You're in love, aren't you?" Hisoka's cheeks flushed a heated red.

"It's not like that!" he protested. Kohaku smirked at him.

"Sure it is," it replied. "I can smell the infatuation leaking out of your soul." The child shut its eyes and took it all in. "Mmm!" it said. "You're making my mouth water." Kohaku paused as he drew his hungry eyes open.

"But what's this?" the kitsune asked. Hisoka froze up. Kohaku licked its lips at him. "Oh, I see," it said. "You've got some ballast in your soul." Hisoka's mood changed to jagged fear. The shinigami felt an icy prickling cover his body as Kohaku closed its eyes again.

"Stay back!" he snapped. "Don't look into my mind! Don't look into my mind! Don't look into my mind! Don't look into my mind!" The kitsune held out its hand. Suddenly, its eyes snapped open. The child smirked as arousal drowned its eyes.

"This is much better than I hoped!" it cheered. "I understand now." The child walked up to its victim. It sniffed him again. "Your parents saw you as a monster, didn't they?" it said in a low voice. The kitsune nuzzled his neck. "They locked you away," its voice rolled out as smooth as honey. "They hated you; they wished they had killed you at birth." Kohaku licked Hisoka on the neck as it pushed him to the floor. "Then there's Muraki!" it hissed with its eyes glowing with its hunger. Hisoka's eyes widened with dread.

"No! Stop it! Please!" he pleaded in a hoarse voice. Kohaku embraced Hisoka as if he were a new lover.

"Oh yes," it hissed in its target's ear. "You saw something you ought not to see that night didn't you?" Kohaku slid its hand under Hisoka's shirt. "Mmm. Muraki tackled you, stripped you of your clothes, raped you, and cursed you to die a slow, agonizing death for three years."

"Stop it, please! No more!" the shinigami pleaded in a weak voice. Kohaku eyed him from nibbling his neck sensually.

"Stop?" the kitsune asked in a husky voice. "But we've only started." Kohaku stripped off Hisoka's orange shirt. "I haven't gotten to the good part!" Kohaku kissed Hisoka's neck again long enough to leave a mark on the pale skin.

"Three years in the hospital led to nothing but an early gave. Then, you met Tsuzuki-san." The child gave the shinigami's bare, cursed chest many tiny, butterfly kisses. "Mmm, your curse is so good," it whispered. "It adds a tangy kick to your soul, just like Tsuzuki-san keeps your life from being boring." The kitsune licked around his nipple. "But then, she came along," the beast lowered its voice. Oh yes, Kimoto Anna-san herself." Hisoka shut his eyes as if to block out the mental pain. Kohaku nipped at the warm, naked flesh under its mouth.

"She ruins everything, doesn't she?" it pushed. "Thirteen years and he hasn't even given you a second look. Then after ten years, she appears in his life and boy do the sparks light up and fly!" Kohaku's hands slid down into Hisoka's jeans. It looked deep into the boy's eyes.

"You know what I think?" the kitsune asked. "He's going to push you out of his life and replace you with her. That's not right. You're more worthy to have him than she'll ever be! You should steal him back from that little bitch!"

"But how? Show me what to do," Hisoka whispered in a hoarse voice. Kohaku backed away and leaned into Hisoka's ear.

"Let me show you," the kitsune whispered. The darkness faded; Hisoka looked to find himself back in Tsuzuki and Anna's room. A new emotion filled him, one of jealousy and bitter rage with only one way to fix that.

Kohaku sat back and watched the first domino fall.


	35. Sweet Little Prelude

_Chapter Thirty-Five: Sweet Little Prelude:_

"You still haven't told me why we rushed out into downtown Kyoto this morning," Anna murmured. Tsuzuki nuzzled her neck.

"What do you mean?" he asked. The shinigami rushed Anna out of their futon a couple of hours ago. He didn't give her a chance to ask questions. Now, they were in one Kyoto's private romantic cafes that just opened.

"Why are we here?" Anna tried again. "What did you have to rush us out of bed for?" Tsuzuki gingerly breathed on her warm ear.

"We're on a date, remember?" her boyfriend whispered. Red, bold walls as far as the eye could see surrounded them. The couple looked out at the lovers below them from the balcony. Tsuzuki and Anna hid away in the back corner. Anna shifted her body away from her boyfriend.

"I know that, but we didn't have to get up early for it," she told him. Tsuzuki nuzzled the nape of her neck again. The clean scent of her hair teased his nose.

"You're doing it again," he whispered. Anna's eyes trailed behind her in the booth.

"What do you mean?"

Her boyfriend softly breathed in her hair. "I've grown to notice little corks about you."

Anna gave him a puzzled look. "Little corks, how?" Tsuzuki closed his eyes for an instance. The soft jasmine incense burning in the café air mingled with the clean scent of soft russet locks under his nose. Neither smell was overpowering. Their softness calmed him down, but yet stirred tender emotions awake inside of him.

"For starters, you think about everything too much," Tsuzuki murmured in her ear as his strong, gentle arms embraced her under her full, perky breasts in a warm gesture.

"Do I?" Anna asked in a soft voice. His heart beating at her back was having the same stimulating effect that the incense and her hair had on her lover.

"Mm-hum," the shinigami whispered. He gave her a small kiss on the neck. "Have you ever thought about just enjoying everything around you?" Anna's brain was too relaxed to form a counter remark to his question. She shook her head instead. Her hair tickled his face as she did so.

"I see," Tsuzuki whispered. His right hand disappeared down to her lap. His fingertips met the bare skin of her right knee.

"I have a challenge for you on this date," the shinigami purposed. The glow of the floor tea lights played into the romantic atmosphere. The hanging lights weren't used during the day. No, those were reserved for the night. Genteel Koto music on a CD floated over the patrons' heads as they ate their breakfast with freshly brewed green tea made the traditional way. Anna's eyes trailed behind her.

"And what is that?" she whispered. Tsuzuki playfully nibbled on her ear. Anna trembled under her lover. Her boyfriend licked her ear in response.

"For this whole date," he issued. "I want you to feel, not think." His fingers danced up from her knee to her creamy pale, bare thigh. Anna took in slow deep breaths as he did so.

"How?" she whimpered. Tsuzuki's wandering hand disappeared under her short, frilly yellow skirt.

"You feel that?" he whispered.

"Mmm," his beloved murmured. Tsuzuki's fingers moved to the crotch of her panties. He held onto her the whole time, licking her ear again.

"Good," the shinigami whispered. "Just go with your feelings; don't think about the outcome of what would happen, understand?" His girlfriend softly shut her eyes. She too took in the scent of jasmine in the air. His touch put her mind in a soft, airy place. Her breath began to relax.

"Yes," Anna murmured. Tsuzuki's left groped her breasts in reply. He kissed her on the nape once more.

"Good girl," he whispered. An idea floated into his floated. "Hey, if you do a good job," Tsuzuki went on. "I might take you somewhere private and devour you later. How does that sound?" He moved his fingers into her panties this time. Tsuzuki pressed a kiss into her nape as well. Anna whimpered as she folded to her own desires.

"Yes!" she almost yelped. Suddenly, someone cleared their throat at them. The couple quickly looked up. A waitress stared them down. "Get a room!" the look in her eyes told the lovers. Tsuzuki and Anna quickly separated. The woman's cheeks were a candy apple red.

"Right," the curvy waitress spoke up. "You ready to order?" Tsuzuki sat up.

"Yes," he replied. "I'll have some green tea with your sweet cake, please." The waitress wrote down his order.

"Want the tea sweetened?" she asked.

"Yes," the shinigami said with a nod. The waitress wrote it all down and turned to Anna.

"And you?" she asked. The other woman blinked.

"What?" she asked. The waitress forced herself to smile.

"What do you want to eat?" she asked. It took a moment for it to sink in.

"Oh!" Anna said at last. "Uhh…" The waitress waited with a notepad in her hand. Tsuzuki gently held his beloved's hand under the table. Anna glanced over at him. He gave her a kind smile.

"It's okay," his eyes told her. "Feel, not think." Anna began to let her mind relax.

"I'll have some cinnamon cream sticks with some green tea," she said at last. The waitress wrote down the order.

"Better," she said. "Would you like the tea sweetened?"

"No," Anna said. The waitress finished writing down the order and suddenly smiled for real.

"Okay," she said. "I'll be back with your meals." The waitress turned and headed down the stairs to the kitchen. As Anna and Tsuzuki sat waiting, the woman shuddered. She felt so cold without his arms around her, so cold without his hands all over her body. Tsuzuki seemed to sense this because he let go of her hand and touched her right bare knee. Anna looked over at him. Her boyfriend gave her a little smile.

"Don't worry, there will be more of that when I devour you later tonight," the look in his eyes told her. Tsuzuki rubbed her knee as a promise in an innocent way. Anna smiled back as her hand lightly touched his. It was only morning after all; they had the whole date to be all icky on each other.

The couple was blissfully unaware of the storm brewing in their direction.


	36. Nigauri

_Chapter Thirty-Six: Nigauri:_

The storm began to slowly uncoil in Hisoka's brain. Kohaku had ravished the boy's soul and left it poisoned. He needed a release; someone had to pay for his heightened misery. First, he had to find the culprit to take it out on.

Hisoka made it back to the main room. Watari had just woken up and was on his computer. The boy watched him with his cold green eyes.

"Watari-san," he spoke up. The blonde scientist didn't turn around from the screen.

"Yes Bon?" he asked. Hisoka felt his own anger slowly burn. He could feel the heat in his hands as he drew them into tight fists at his sides.

"Where's Tsuzuki?" he asked as he drew in slow breaths.

"Hm?" Watari asked, glancing behind him. The boy could feel the blood running in his pale fists.

"I need to talk to him now," he replied in a slow rhythm.

"Oh, he and Kimoto-san left a couple of hours ago," Watari brushed off without really noticing the storm brewing behind him. The boy's nostrils flared as his anger drowned in a sea of red.

"Where?" he hissed.

"They left a note somewhere, hang on," Watari looked around for it. The burning began to increase inch by inch. Tick. Tick. Tick.

"Ah, here it is!" Watari said. "Dear guys, went out for the weekend for extra work. Be back soon, Tsuzuki and Anna." Hisoka gritted his teeth. Lies, all lies; they were on a date this weekend, he just knew it. The burn went up another notch.

"Does it say where?" Hisoka asked in a gall-filled tone.

"No," Watari said. "But I'm assuming downtown Kyoto." The boy finally calmed himself down as he released his fists.

"Thank you," he forced himself to say. The young Shinigami walked out the door. Watari looked up this time.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I need to talk to Tsuzuki!" Hisoka shouted. The door slid shut and Watari sat, blinking.

"Okay…" he said.

Hisoka stopped in his tracks outside. The color drained from his complex. _What am I doing?_ This wasn't like him. Sure, Hisoka didn't hate Anna, but Tsuzuki spent more time with her lately; a little bit too much in the boy's opinion. The thought of being shut out made his stomach turn. He felt like Tsuzuki treated him like an after-thought. Hisoka shook his head. Where was all of this coming from? Tsuzuki did care about him. It didn't feel that though; he seemed to care about Anna more.

_No! He cares about us equally._

**You sure about that?**

_Yeah…no… I don't know._

Hisoka dropped his head. This was the third trip. Sure, Tsuzuki and Anna were in love. What was the problem? He and Tsuzuki were still friends. However, that wasn't satisfying enough.

Anna got to enjoy Tsuzuki in ways he couldn't. His partner's eyes would never shine for him. Tsuzuki would never smile for him like he did with Anna. No kisses and caresses for Hisoka. She even enjoyed Tsuzuki on a more intimate level, one that was far out of the boy's reach. Anna became the wall between the boys in Hisoka's mind. She was a parasite draining everything from the bond he had with Tsuzuki.

**See? Anna is your rival to be taken out of the equation.**

Hisoka shook his head. This was going out of portion now. Tsuzuki is happy for a change and not the fake kind either. What right did Hisoka have to destroy it?

**But what about you?**

Hisoka froze at that question. His heart became heavy. What did he do to deserve this cold outside? Hisoka sighed and looked up at the sky.

_This isn't me. I don't know what I'm doing_, he thought. Hisoka shuddered in this confusing place. The lump in his throat became coal. _I think I'm going to be sick_, he thought. His heart twisted in more pain as his head began to ache from the confusion as well.

**Come on! Why put yourself though this? There is an easier way to do this.**

_How?_

**You know how.**

Hisoka shook his head. _No!_

**Oh, but you must.**

The boy violently began to shake. _I don't want to hurt anybody!_

A sound similar to laughter ripped through his head. **You have to or enjoy your misery.**

A spark snapped in the boy's brain. The fire in his gut burned in a slow, cold heat. _I should at least talk to him_, Hisoka thought. _Yes. That shouldn't hurt, right?_ He walked further into the trap.

_Dance, my little pet_, Kohaku thought as he watched the boy walk away. _Dance on my strings._


	37. Train Ride

_Chapter Thirty-Seven: Train Ride:_

"Ready to go?" Shichiro asked at the door. His bags were already packed and sitting at his feet.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Amaya yelled from the hall. Shichiro sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You do this every time we go on vacation!" he complained.

"What was that?" she snapped. Her husband shrugged at her.

"It's true!" he argued.

"You're lucky I'm attracted to you at the moment," she warned him with her hands on her hips. Shichiro tilted his head at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked. His wife giggled at his child-like tone.

"More than usual, silly!" she exclaimed. "Like a bonus!"

"Uh-huh! Just get a move on," her husband rushed with. "That train's going to be gone soon!"

"Fine, fine!" his wife shouted. "I'm coming! Hang on!" Shichiro waited by the door. His wife finally joined him with her luggage. The man only smiled at her and Amaya smiled back.

"What?" she asked. Shichiro gently reached forward and pushed a loose strand from her face.

"There," he said. The professor turned to the door. "Shall we go?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Take me out of here," his wife softly commanded.

"As you wish, malady," Shichiro said. He unlocked the door and away they went.

"How long is the train ride?" Amaya asked in the car.

"The whole day," her husband replied. "We'll be at the retreat by nightfall." His wife cuddled up next to him.

"Are you going to sleep now?" Shichiro asked. She didn't answer. He smiled and shook his head. Amaya would be sleeping on the train too. Good thing; gave him some time to be lost in his thoughts.

They arrived at the train station at ten a.m. Shichiro lightly shook Amaya awake. She pushed him off as she mumbled something in annoyance.

"What?" she asked.

"We're here," her husband whispered. Amaya looked around.

"Huh?" she asked. "At the retreat?" Shichiro chuckled at her.

"No, the station," he said. Amaya blinked at him.

"Oh…" she said. Shichiro laughed this time. Amaya hit him on the arm.

"Shut up!" she hissed. Her husband only laughed harder. They managed to buy the tickets just in time. Amaya sat on a bench, waiting. The woman at the booth smiled at Shichiro.

"Yes sir," she said. "How may I help you today?"

"Oh yes, two tickets to Nishikyo Ward, please," Shichiro said.

"Ooo, a romantic gateway?" the ticket woman asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

"That's right, our anniversary is Sunday," the professor bragged.

"Oh, how many years?" she asked. Shichiro counted up in his head.

"Twenty-seven," he said once he was confident in his answer. The ticket lady gave off a low whistle.

"Wow!" she gasped. She totaled up the prices.

"That'll be ¥1,661, please," the woman said. Shichiro paid the price and got the tickets.

"Have a nice day," he said.

"You too," the woman said back. "Have a good weekend!"

"Thank you!" Shichiro replied with a bow. The man headed back to his wife. Amaya looked up at him.

"You got them?" she asked. The professor showed her the tickets. His wife grinned.

"Yes!" she cheered. Shichiro sat down next to her.

"We're almost there," he whispered. His wife smiled and giggled. Shichiro took a quick sniff of her hair. The spicy scent stirred the fire in his loins. It would be fun to play with her on the train.

"I can't wait to sleep on the train!" his wife cheered as she stretched out her legs. Shichiro sighed as he lowered his head.

"You always do," he mumbled.

"Say what?" Amaya asked.

"Nothing…" Shichiro lied under his breath. His wife laid her head on his shoulder. Shichiro smiled to himself. She's going to play-fight with him later. Their train finally pulled in.

"Attention passengers!" the PDA system announced. "You may now board train to Nishikyo Ward!" Shichiro turned to his wife.

"That's us," he whispered. The couple got up and boarded the train. Husband and wife sat in business class. As expected, Amaya went right to sleep as soon as they sat down. Her head rested on the professor's shoulder. Shichiro smiled at her. _Twenty-seven years, doesn't feel like it_, he thought. They weren't young anymore and the spark hadn't died, but it didn't last as long as it used to. Passionate marathons were rare nowadays. Age and his busy schedule kept them apart. That and the fact he didn't really want to kill anybody, but because his body started rejecting the meds, he had no choice but to kill in order to survive.

Funny thing about that, Amaya's highest attraction to him was after a kill. After he killed Ami, he and Amaya made love for weeks. After that, Shichiro decided he wanted to marry his then-girlfriend. It took about three more kills to get Amaya to say yes.

The sun made Amaya's legs shine a soft, warm golden color. She looked so angelic sleeping there. Her wine purple hair teased his nose with its lavender scent. Why did he love her? Amaya was the mistress and Shichiro was the dog. She was the one with all of the power. However, Shichiro had come to learn something during these twenty-seven years of marriage:

The man had his own power over his wife. This power was divided into two places. The top part was his kitsune, Kohaku. The bottom rested happily in his pants. Both would come in pretty handy this weekend. Shichiro kissed his sleeping wife on the forehead. His lips brushed against her warm ear.

"Happy anniversary weekend, Ama-chan," he whispered loudly. Shichiro glanced out the window. _I wonder how my present is doing_, he thought as he watched the city part of Kyoto rush by.


	38. Time Bomb

_Chapter Thirty-Eight: Time Bomb:_

The progression of hate is an interesting one. Something brutally traumatic is usually the root cause. Soon, sorrow gives way to anger. Eventually, anger gives births to violent hate. Hisoka found himself caught in limbo. He still didn't know what he was doing. Kohaku trapped him in an unstable place.

Hisoka wandered down to the train station. He felt cold despite it being summer. He looked up at the clock. The Seiko clock flashed 9:45. The last train was coming soon. The stale air made his head spin.

_Tsuzuki…_

"Hey kid!" a voice shouted. The boy didn't look up as shadows ate him. Three high school thugs surrounded Hisoka. The leader got in real close to his face.

"Hey kid, I'm talking to you!" he barked. "Look up when someone talks to you." Hisoka kept his eyes to the ground. The leader sneered at him.

"Not talking, huh?" he asked. "Give us all your money!" Hisoka didn't part his lips.

"He's not talking, boss," one of the thugs said.

"I can see that, you dumbass!" the leader hissed. He turned back to Hisoka with a cold chuckle. "Looks like we'll have to teach our friend here some manners," he boomed.

"Fuck off," Hisoka mumbled. The three thugs turned their attention to him.

"Sorry?" the leader asked in a sarcastic tone.

"I said, fuck off!" Hisoka snapped as he looked up. His eyes looked possessed by the devil. "You will all die!" the look in them seemed to snap. The thugs trembled.

"We're so sorry, buddy," the leader murmured. "Uh… enjoy your night!" The thugs quickly took off. Hisoka slumped against the wall, drained. What did it matter?

_Tsuzuki…_

The last train finally pulled up at the station. Hisoka boarded like a zombie. His brain seemed disconnected from his body. Kohaku fogged up everything. Hisoka sat with his back against the window. The thin line of sorrow and rage continued to blur quickly.

_He loves her, Hisoka. She gets to know his body in ways you'll never understand. She mocks you for it._

Hisoka tightly closed his eyes. _When are you going to shut up?_

_When are you going to stop lying to yourself?_

Hisoka froze as he jerked his eyes open. The cold darkness crept over his body. Kohaku's ghost-like hands rubbed on his shoulders.

_Hisoka, Hisoka, Hisoka. You have blinded yourself for so long. Tsuzuki will leave you behind with Anna if you keep this up. Wake up, my beautiful boy!_

The red in Hisoka's eyes began to smolder. _No, that's not true!_

_Is it?_

Hisoka lowered his eyes. _Uh… well…_ He looked down at his lap. His pale hands began to tremble as he swallowed hard. Tsuzuki and Anna kept getting closer and closer every day. His partner always came to work over the moon. It became Anna this, Anna that. All of it kept opening the sore that he had been trying to cover up. She and Kohaku took turns breaking down his heart.

He tried to close his eyes to block out the pain. Instead, Tsuzuki's gentle face filled his mind. Hisoka's heart went into double time. He felt his cheeks flush a light pink. The boy reached out for his partner. Suddenly, the image began to fade. Hisoka's heart quivered in panic.

_Tsuzuki! Tsuzuki! TSUZUKI!_ Not a single sound came out in his inner voice. Tsuzuki faded away further and further. Hisoka's hand dropped in despair. _Tsuzuki…_

His older partner reappeared. Only, this time he wasn't alone. Tsuzuki and Anna were locked in a sensuous embrace, kissing. Another hole ripped into Hisoka's heart.

_Stop, I don't want see anymore!_

The kitsune looked at its target like a sweet little child. _But you must. See the truth! Unleash your wrath!_

Tsuzuki began sliding off Anna's dress. Hisoka yanked open his eyes and found himself back on the train in the darkness. He wheezed as he trembled. Kohaku playfully stroked his hair. The boy flinched away.

_Why?_

Kohaku gave him an innocent look. _Why what, Hisoka-kun?_

Hisoka's stomach turned as he clinched his fists in his lap. _Why do you do this to me? _Kohaku slowly lifted the target's head gave him a twisted smile.

_Because, I love you._

Hisoka froze with big eyes. For the first time today, clarity finally broke in his brain. He realized what had to be done. The train would arrive in Nishikyo Ward by morning. Right now, Hisoka had his anger to mate with for the night.


	39. Soft Summer Night

_Chapter Thirty-Nine: Soft Summer Night:_

Anna lied awake in bed in a hotel in Nishikyo Ward around midnight. She woke up seconds before feeling the bright crimson ribbon around her throat. Her eyes trailed back to Tsuzuki. His arm lay draped over her breasts. The woman found her mind in a confusing place.

_Asato-kun would never do that to me_, she thought. She reached over and brushed some loose strands from his forehead. His smile delivered a feeling of calm over Anna.

_I wonder what he's dreaming about now_, she thought. That thought led back to her own dreams. _Is it a trap by them?_ Anna let her fingers run along her throat again. She knew that ribbon wasn't real, but still…

Tsuzuki turned over in his sleep, mumbling something she couldn't hear. Anna couldn't help but smile. Tsuzuki proved to be a complex man; sweet and playful, but yet serious at the same time. She and he mirrored each other. Though not as perky as he was, Anna still had a good heart. The woman never was a big people-person like Becky was. Anna just wanted to be left alone; in the beginning at least.

Tsuzuki wound up changing that. Strangely, Anna didn't feel threatened, but didn't exactly welcome it with open arms either. Though it was slowly unfolding, anyone could see clear progress between the couple. However, relapse could still be possible. Maybe, the dream was a possible sign of that.

Anna shook her head. _No, he's not like that_, she thought. It had to be something else. Anna dug in her mind for what it could be. Suddenly, she felt rustling next to her in the bed. Anna glanced over to see a pair of violet eyes staring back at her.

"Oh," she said. "How long have you been awake?"

"A couple of minutes," Tsuzuki replied. He noticed the look on her face. "What's the matter?" he whispered. Anna pressed her lips together as she shook her head.

"That dream again?" the shinigami asked. Anna nodded at him.

"Ah," he said. His beloved sighed.

"I can't understand why I keep having it," she said. "I've had weird dreams before, but this…" Tsuzuki lightly touched her shoulder. Anna looked over to see him gently smile at her as he shook his head.

"You're doing it again," he said in a low voice. Anna blinked at him.

"Doing what?" she asked. He rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Thinking too much," her boyfriend answered. Anna glanced over to him.

"I'm being serious here!" she complained. He gave her a small kiss on the neck.

"I know," Tsuzuki told her. Anna sighed.

"I just can't brush this one off," she explained. "This one just doesn't feel right."

"I won't kill you," he assured her. Anna pressed her lips together as she shook her head.

"I just don't understand why I keep having that dream," she said. Tsuzuki gently caressed her cheek. Anna slowly closed her mouth. Her boyfriend kissed her on the forehead.

"I won't let anyone hurt you," he whispered.

"Including you?" she asked. The shinigami pressed his lips together as he lowered his eyes.

"Yes," he finally mumbled. Anna put her hand to his chest. He looked deep into her eyes. She seemed to have a calming effect on him. She kissed him on the nose.

"I'll trust you on that," the woman whispered. Despite her calm demeanor, Anna was already preparing to counter any plans of her family using Tsuzuki to kill her. She could feel her heart pounding up to her ears.


	40. Man and His Wife

_Chapter Forty: Man and His Wife:_

Before morning came, Shichiro gently shook his wife awake in bed. She mumbled something as she tried to go back to sleep.

"What?" she asked in a tired voice. Her husband sat over her smiling.

"Let's go out", he whispered. Amaya looked up at him, blinking.

"Why?" she asked.

"I'll show you soon," her husband softly replied. "Just get up and get dressed." His wife gave a frustrated sigh.

"Fine, fine," she mumbled. Shichiro watched as Amaya climbed out of bed. His libido was acting up again. His kitsune sailed up next to him. The professor smiled as it rested in a circle around him.

"Kohaku," he said. The kitsune nuzzled his neck.

"Well?" Shichiro asked. The kitsune smiled with its glowing eyes.

"The runt is faltering fast," it answered with glee in its voice. Shichiro smirked in the darkness.

"Excellent," he hissed. Kohaku looked up at him with curious eyes.

"What now?" it asked. The professor patted it on the head.

"We wait," he replied in confidence. Kohaku pouted as its ears drooped. The professor smiled calmly.

"It'll be a short wait," he said. "Anna and that older shinigami are already here."

"Ooo," the kitsune cooed.

"Yes, yes," Shichiro replied. "The only piece missing to Amaya's gift is the little one." Kohaku nuzzled his neck. They looked up when they heard the bathroom door opening. Amaya eyed them with a quaint smile on her face.

"Oh, who's your friend?" she asked. Kohaku bowed its head at her.

"Malady," the kitsune addressed her. The tsukai's wife felt her whole body shiver. She licked her lips at them both. Shichiro smiled at her.

"Ready to go?" he asked. His wife gave him a hungry little smirk.

"That'll depend," she said. Her husband raised an eyebrow at her.

"On what?" Shichiro asked. Amaya stepped further into the room.

"Are both of you coming?" she asked in the tone of a phone sex operator.

"You want us to?" her husband asked rather curious.

"Yes," Amaya insisted. Shichiro gave her a devilish smile.

"Follow me," the professor commanded. He walked out of the hotel room with Kohaku flying behind him. Amaya went after her husband and the kitsune.

Shichiro led her into the courtyard. Amaya smiled to herself.

"Ooo," she said. "Is this part of my present?" Shichiro smirked with his back turned.

"Maybe…" he replied. Amaya looked at him curious.

"Maybe?" she asked. Her husband turned to her in a slow manner. Another shiver shot through his wife's body.

"Oh, professor!" she cooed. The hunger swirled in his eyes.

"Time for your private lesson!" he told her as he made his way over to her in a slow stroll. Amaya raised an eyebrow at him.

"So I'm the student now?" she asked. Her husband grabbed her by the waist. Amaya giggled as he playfully pushed her to the soft, wet grass. He looked deep into her eyes. The man sniffed at her neck and licked his lips.

"Oh yes," he murmured. "And the lecture begins now!"

"Ooo!" Amaya cooed again. Her husband yanked up her shirt.

"Shhh!" he whispered at her black and red lacy bra. "No talking until you're called on." His wife smiled as she raised her hand.

"Yes?" the professor asked. His "student" lowered her hand.

"Take me, please," she pleaded. Her professor smirked at her.

"Good girl," he whispered. "Time for the lecture." Shichiro playfully bit her on the neck. Within his master's mind, Kohaku watched the couple make love.

_She owns him; Shichiro is only a toy and he knows that. It's his mother's fault. She groomed her sons that way. Well, all but one. However, he's dead now. Shichiro has gone from one mistress to another. Amaya tried to control me as well. I have to admit, Amaya is kind of hot. However, I only serve the master, not her. She is fun in bed, though._

_Yes, I have slept with Amaya a few times. She can be such a slut. I want to know something. Is it really cheating if I'm sleeping with her too? I doubt it. Shichiro and I are, in a sense, one being in one body. We both love and sleep with Amaya. Yet, who is the one really in control—him or me?_

_Even still, she may be the true mistress of the marriage, but Shichiro has his own power over her. This comes in two parts—myself and his hungry cock. The latter benefits everyone. Hey, I'm a kitsune after all. We eat other things besides souls too, you know! Yet, this isn't enough. I don't want sex; I want a new toy. Hisoka-kun is coming by sunrise. I can't wait to see him. I find him so fun to mess with. However, right now Amaya is so sexy as a submissive._

Shichiro collapsed on top of his wife in pleasure. She stroked his hair and kissed his forehead. The husband rested himself up for the next two days.


	41. Club Orange

_Chapter Forty-One: Club Orange:_

Saturday, it looked like it would rain. Hisoka was in a black, icy pit that kept crushing him down. Everything sounded underwater to him as life swirled around him. Anyone could say he was a zombie. His body was there, but his mind was elsewhere.

_Tsuzuki…_

His unrequited love and its torment drove him down a destructive path. Hisoka didn't take in his surroundings. The people were blurred shadows in his vision. His heart raced up to his ears. The painful march began to the ticket booth. The girl behind the glass was chatting on her cell phone to her long distance boyfriend. She looked up and saw the boy.

"Baby, I've got to go," the girl said on her phone. "Bye." She pushed the hang up button and turned her attention to Hisoka.

"May I help you?" she asked. Hisoka's eyes looked soulless and tired through the glass.

"Do you have a map of the romantic retreat places in this area?" he asked in a matching tone.

"Why yes we do, hang on," the girl answered. She began looking through the maps in the box on the information rack. "Meeting up with someone?" she asked in process.

"You can say that," Hisoka mumbled.

"Ooo! A lover?" the girl asked.

"I wish," the young shinigami muttered under his breath. The girl looked up from the box of various maps.

"Hm?" she asked. Hisoka shook his head. The girl brushed it off and kept looking. Finally, she found the map.

"Ah, here you are!" the girl said as she handed it to him. Hisoka quickly took the map and scanned it. The girl looked at him with a smile plastered on her face.

"Do you need anything else?" she asked. Hisoka lowered the map.

"No," he said in cold tone. The boy handed the map back to her. "Thank you for the map." He turned and walked away. The girl at the booth gave him a strange look.

"Wait!" she yelled. "Don't you want the map?"

"Don't need it!" Hisoka yelled back as he disappeared from view. The girl blinked at him.

"Okay…"she mumbled. Once out of view, Hisoka teleported to his destination.

This lovers' retreat named Club Orange just opened New Year's Day. This place proved to be popular among couples young and old. Single people came here for a date. The sensational perfume had no effect on Hisoka as he walked into the lobby. Tsuzuki clouded his mind. Hisoka walked up to the front desk. The receptionist smiled at him.

"Welcome to Club Orange, sir!" she cheered. "How may I help you today?" Hisoka's eyes clouded deeper.

"Did a man named Tsuzuki come here with a brown-haired woman?" he asked. The receptionist thought about the question.

"Let me see," she said. She looked through the records of last night's check-in. Hisoka waited as the thorn vines in his heart twisted higher. His mind retreated deeper into his hate. _What is wrong with me? This is not like me. This is not me!_

"May I ask what your state of affairs is with the couple in question?" the receptionist asked. Hisoka looked up from the sea of misery.

"Hm?" he asked.

"Why do you want to see this Tsuzuki-san and lady friend so badly?" she asked again. Hisoka lowered his head.

"I just need to see them," he mumbled. The receptionist's face lit up as she tried to suppress a giggle.

"Ooo, a three-way?" she suggested. Hisoka clenched his teeth and fists as he trembled. _A three-way with that…that…whore? Stupid woman!_

"Ah, here they are!" the receptionist said. "They are in room 516." The boy quickly bowed.

"Thank you!" he said. Hisoka raced down the hall as the receptionist only giggled to herself. The young shinigami made it to the elevator and pressed the button. Once inside, the sea became even more unsettled.

_Why am I doing this? This isn't me at all! Tsuzuki is happy with her. He should be happy after all that he's been through._

_Yes, but what about you?_

Hisoka paused at that question. He and Tsuzuki had been close for thirteen years. They suffered the worst together, picked each other up when they were down, and what did the boy get for all of his troubles? Tsuzuki did love him back alright, just not in the same way.

_It's not right! He should be with me, not her!_

_Yes! Tsuzuki is rightfully yours! Steal the idiot back from that whore!_

Hisoka's internal rage peeked when the doors opened up to the fifth floor. The storm began to leak with every step. Kohaku took it all in for the awaiting big finish.

_This is better than screwing Amaya!_


	42. Rain Prism

_Chapter Forty-Two: Rain Prism:_

_-On the same Saturday-_

"You sure this will be worth my while?" Anna asked. They headed back to their room. Tsuzuki nuzzled her neck.

"Are you questioning me?" he murmured.

"No, I'm just trying to take a guess," she answered. Tsuzuki playfully grabbed her by the waist. Anna giggled aloud as her boyfriend licked her ear.

"Come along and you shall see!" he whispered. He added in little nibbles to heighten the effect. Anna giggled aloud.

"Okay, okay," she admitted defeat with a smile.

"Good girl," the shinigami whispered in her ear, patting her head. Tsuzuki unlocked the door when they made it back to their room.

"After you," he said. Anna gave him a little smile, but she did not move. The shinigami smiled back at her.

"What?" he asked. The woman leaned forward and kissed him. Tsuzuki happily kissed back as Anna took him into the room with her. The shinigami playfully pushed her back onto the bed. She gazed at him with flirty eyes and a smirk. Tsuzuki sat over her grinning.

"What do you want from me?" he asked. His girlfriend reached up and lightly stroked his cheek.

"You," she whispered. "I want only you." Tsuzuki kissed her finger.

"Good choice," he whispered. The shinigami leaned down and kissed her again. His girl happily welcomed the romantic gesture. His hands slowly inched toward her breasts. Anna's tongue parted Tsuzuki's lips as his fingertips slipped under her dark blue t-shirt. Once past the teeth, her tongue began to play with his.

Tsuzuki grabbed onto her right breast with his right hand. Anna tried to in his mouth, but let out a small whimper. Her tongue nearly rammed itself down his throat. That shot up more fire between them. The shinigami paused and took off his jacket. Anna reached up and undid his tie.

Outside, Hisoka roamed the hall. _516. 516. 516. 516. 516._ His pounding heart pushed him to keep walking. Blood invaded his thoughts. It showed with the red in his eyes.

Kohaku watched from behind. Just a few more steps until the real show began. Today's feast already filled his mouth.

Tsuzuki's kisses trailed down to Anna's neck. The woman softly whimpered in pleasure.

"More," she whispered. "More, please! I'm begging you!"

"Shhh," Tsuzuki whispered at her throat. "It's coming. Just be patient, okay?" Anna panted as she nodded, her chest heaving up and down. He gave her a little smile. Something was different between them in their intimate state. He couldn't describe it yet, but he could sense her in a distant way. The sensation came through weak, but she leaked into him somehow. It all aroused him in ways that he couldn't comprehend. _Is this what Hisoka feels around other people?_

Anna swallowed as she gave him a little nod. Tsuzuki leaned in closer to her throat.

"Very good," he whispered. He gave her another lick to the throat as an additional response. Anna moaned before Tsuzuki kissed her again to keep her quiet. His beloved kissed back as the shinigami slid his hands back under her shirt. Anna moaned as her tongue found his once more.

Hisoka made it to room 516. His pounding heart made him pause. Once he opened that door, what would happen next? _Why am I here?_

Tsuzuki's mind tried to focus on the senses of his girlfriend. This glow affected him in a different way. The hazy heat from Anna's soul flirted with his libido. He felt as if he had tried a line of coke for the first time.

_Do it!_

_But…_

_But what?_

Hisoka's throat tightened as his knuckles went pale. _What would I do?_

_Just go in and deal with it!_

Hisoka lowered his head. _Okay…_

Tsuzuki's hands slowly traveled down to the hem of Anna's shirt as Hisoka teleported inside. The older shinigami and the woman looked up when they felt someone watching them. Green eyes blackened with no soul stared back at them. Tsuzuki looked puzzled.

"Hisoka?" he asked.

Kohaku shut its eyes as a black screen covered its targets.


	43. Misery Lust

_Chapter Forty-Three: Misery Lust:_

Hisoka slowly opened his eyes to find that there was no ground in a sea of crystallized empty. He felt his body floating.

_W-Where am I?_

"Oh good, you're awake," that familiar voice said. Hisoka looked up to find Kohaku standing over him, smirking. The shinigami trembled as the kitsune shook its head.

"Aww," he said. "Why do you fear me? I wouldn't harm you intentionally." Hisoka nodded with a pale face. Kohaku extended its hand out to the boy. The shinigami gave the creature a blank stare. The sweet smile was part of the trap, but yet so inviting. Hisoka slowly took the kitsune's hand. Kohaku helped him to his feet.

"There," the kitsune said. Hisoka took a minute to take in the new ground under his feet.

"You poor soul," Kohaku spoke up. "You need a release." Hisoka paused and looked up.

"Huh?" he asked.

"Therefore," the kitsune went on. He walked toward an altar. The expression on Hisoka's face filled with startled anger. Anna sat on the ground bounded and gagged. Her eyes pleaded with him for mercy.

"What is this?" Hisoka asked. Kohaku walked forward and placed a hand on the woman's head.

"You see," the kitsune said. "I have brought you a little gift."

"What?" the boy asked.

"You hate her, right?" Kohaku asked.

"I guess…" Hisoka admitted sheepishly. The kitsune picked up a baseball bat from the crystal nothingness and handed the weapon to the shinigami.

"She must be punished," Kohaku spoke. "Take the bat and punish this wanton whore!" Hisoka hesitated at first. He looked at Kohaku and the bat with big eyes before he turned his focus on Anna.

"Don't do this to me!" the look in her eyes begged him. Hisoka's rage began to spiral.

"Why should I?" the look in his eyes asked. The boy grabbed the bat and raised it high above his head.

"Yes!" Kohaku hissed. "Do it!" Hisoka let out a beast-like cry. He took the first swing to Anna's head. The woman didn't cry out through the gag. The boy backed up to admire the damage. He licked his lips with a wild, demonic look in his eyes. Her fear and pain poured through him like a waterfall.

"That feels good!" Hisoka growled. He took another swing at his victim. Scarlet blood sailed upwards with each hit. Kohaku watched him with a smirk on its face while the swings got harder and faster.

"Yes!" the kitsune moaned as if having sex. "Yes! More!" Blood splashed upon Hisoka's face. However, when he couldn't feel her emotions run through him anymore, his sense came back.

_This is not me._

"Go on!" Kohaku yelled. "Do it! Finish her off! Kill her!" Hisoka took more violent swings as his heart ached from the emptiness spilling over.

_This is not me. This is not me. This is not me!_

Smack!

_This is not me! _Hisoka lowered the bat before he could deliver the lethal blow. Kohaku frowned at the toy.

"What are you doing?" it hissed. "If you want Tsuzuki back, you have to kill your rival!" Hisoka smiled and shook his head.

"She's not the one I need to take my anger out on," he replied.

"What?" Kohaku snapped. Hisoka lifted his head. His eyes weren't hungry for meaningless violence like they had been during this whole trip. Instead, a calming sense of clarity washed over the boy.

"I'm just going to take it out on you—right now!" the shinigami shouted. Kohaku only smirked at him.

"Really?" he asked. Hisoka lunged forward to take a swing.

When he hit the puppet master, the body broke down into watery dust and fell to his feet. His crystal surroundings around him vanished like tiny soap bubbles. Hisoka searched his now black landscape.

_An illusion?_

"Tsuzuki? Kimoto-san?" the boy asked. Hisoka's stomach turned at the realization.

_Kohaku could be… I have to save them!_ Despite the endless dark maze around him, Hisoka began his march to save his comrades.


	44. Trust and Mother

_Chapter Forty-Four: Trust and Mother:_

The cold caressed her cheeks. Anna fluttered her eyes open to see pitch black. _What happened?_ However, something else caught her attention. A tight grasp squeezed around her throat. She darted her eyes in front of her to find blank violet eyes staring back at her.

"A-Asato-kun?" Anna choked out. His grip tightened around her neck. She gagged, but didn't fight back. This was a trap, no doubt about that, but yet…

"You don't want to do this," her glassy gaze reasoned with him. Tsuzuki stood as an empty shell choking her as his grip tightened.

_No! This not him! Asato-kun would never try to kill me. But what do I do?_

Kohaku watched from the outside. Hisoka went bust with the last mission. The kitsune planned to kill Anna this way. If people died in the illusion that he created, they would die in real life. Anna should be seriously injured now due to the beating from the last illusion. She had no chance of fighting back. Plus with the executioner being her lover, this would soothe things over.

"Come on," Kohaku murmured. "Live out her nightmare! Kill her!"

"Tsuzuki's" hands grew tighter. Anna panicked as her eyes became blurry. She couldn't think straight anymore. _Am I going to die?_

Her mind snapped back into reality. She read about something like this once. Maybe, she could control this illusion herself. Sure, a kitsune was pulling the strings, but she knew Tsuzuki better. Anna drew her eyes closed.

"Kill me if you desire," she whispered. "This isn't you. You're too kind to kill anybody." "Tsuzuki's" grip grew even tighter. Anna softly gagged for air. Kohaku licked its lips.

"Yes!" the kitsune cheered. "More! More! Kill her!"

Suddenly, "Tsuzuki" just let go of his victim. Anna's semi-conscious body sank down to his feet. Kohaku's pleasure turned into rage.

"What are you doing?" it hissed. "I didn't tell you to let go! Strangle her until she's dead!" The puppet turned to attack with fuda in hand. Kohaku shook its head.

"Such a pity," it said. "You were the perfect tool!" Kohaku waved its hand in the air. The puppet started to choke on its own blood that the puppet master filled in his throat and broke down into bloody dust.

"Pathetic," Kohaku mumbled with a smirk. Anna lied on the ground, still recovering. That Tsuzuki may have been an illusion, but that just wasn't right. Kohaku turned to its victim.

"Oh well," the kitsune said. "Looks like I'll have to kill you myself. Such a pain, but it is what it is." Anna glared at him.

_Bastard!_

"Spare your crap," Kohaku said. "You'll be dead again, anyway!" Kohaku sailed over with a knife that he forged from his mind in his hand. Anna waited with mocking intent. The kitsune huddled over her body, ready to strike.

"Pray," it hissed. The kitsune raised the knife above his head. Anna did not react; she wasn't giving the creature the satisfaction.

However, Kohaku paused. The knife dropped out of its hand as realization washed over its face.

"Mother?" the kitsune asked. Anna herself looked puzzled. _Mother? What does that mean?_

Kohaku gasped aloud as a bullet hit its spine. Both it and Anna glanced up at the intruder. Hisoka walked forward with a gun in his hand. Kohaku's face changed to disappointment.

"My love, you won our game, congratulations," it said with a pain twisted on its face. The puppet master faded back to reality. Hisoka sneered as he lowered his gun.

"I never wanted to play anyway," he mumbled in disgust. The shinigami turned to Anna.

"You okay?" he asked as he walked over to her. Anna gave him an awkward smile.

"Yeah," she said.

"Can you get up?" Hisoka asked. Anna made a strange face at him.

"I don't get it," she said.

"Get what?" the shinigami asked with an eyebrow raised. Anna forced herself to sit up.

"Why are you doing this for me?" she asked. "I got the impression that you hated me."

"Never mind that now!" Hisoka hissed. Get up and let's get out of here!"

"Right!" Anna said without missing a beat. Hisoka held out his hand and helped her to her feet.

"Which way out?" Anna asked, looking around.

"I don't know," the boy said. "My guess is that we just need to wake up." No sooner had he said that, the endless dark maze vanished. Tsuzuki, Anna, and Hisoka woke up back in the hotel room.

On Sunday, Shichiro packed him and his wife's bag. The trip turned out to be a tense one. Kohaku had failed and the gift went bust. Amaya got pissed off and didn't want to talk for the rest of the day. Her husband trembled as he imagined the earful he would get back at home. Suddenly, Club Orange and room 130 became a colder place.

Oh shit, he thought. I've got to make it up to her somehow. The man's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the bathroom door opening. He looked up and saw Amaya walking into their room. She cut him a cold glare as she walked over to their bed. Shichiro gave her a nervous titter.

"Happy anniversary, dear…" he mumbled. Amaya snorted at him.

"You're pathetic!" she snapped. She grabbed her luggage and stormed out of the room. Shichiro sighed. _Oh boy…_


	45. Second Therapy Case

_Chapter Forty-Five: Second Therapy Case:_

Anna and Hisoka waited in the hall as Tsuzuki was being checked out in the Club Orange Care Center. Hisoka looked up at Anna.

"How is he?" he asked. Anna didn't look at him.

"Good," she said. Anna took a breath. "Let me ask you something," she spoke up after a few seconds in the silence.

"Hm?" Hisoka asked he glanced over at her.

"Aside from the obvious, why did you come to save me?" Anna asked him out right. Hisoka shrugged as he shook his head.

"Does there have to be a reason?" he asked. Anna thought about that question.

"Guess not," she admitted. "So how did you get the gun?"

"While I was looking for you and Tsuzuki, I figured out something in the illusion," the shinigami explained. "Kohaku was using our dreams to power it." Anna gave him a puzzled look.

"Our dreams?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said.

"Oh, is that why I managed to get Asato to stop choking me?" she asked. Hisoka gave her a stern nod.

"I thought about a way to put an end to this mess and that's how I got the gun," he summed up.

"Ah," the woman said, nodding. She waited for a beat before she broke out with the truth. "Listen, he still cares about you, you know?" Anna spoke up. Hisoka stared at her with big eyes.

"Huh?" he asked with surprise in his voice.

"Asato is still close to you," she explained. "He isn't trying to close you out of his life. I will never replace you." Anna clenched her fists together. "I can't replace no more than I can erase all of my scars," she declared. "I love Asato and he loves me. The last thing I want is to tear his friendships apart. Do you understand?" Hisoka gave her an indifferent nod.

"I want Tsuzuki to be happy," he declared himself. "If he's happy with you, then fine." He gave her a little smile. "Don't think I'm fully ready to accept your relationship with him right away. I still love him." Anna smiled back at the boy.

"I can live with that," she said. Suddenly, Tsuzuki came out into the hall. The boy and woman looked up.

"Well?" Hisoka asked. Tsuzuki gave him and Anna a little smile.

"I'm good," he replied. "They signed me out just now." Anna's face perked up.

"That reminds me, I need to make a phone call," she said. The woman headed outside. The boys watched, curious. Only Tsuzuki knew the reason.

At noon, there came a knock on the door of apartment 27, Ko.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm coming!" the graduate student mumbled. He opened the door to find a woman in a suit looking inside. She held a clipboard in her hands. The student blinked at her.

"Uh… Can I help you?" he asked.

"I am with child services," the woman spoke. "I'm just going to ask you and your ward a few questions. May I come in?" The graduate student blinked at her.

"What?" he asked.

"It should only take a couple of minutes," the social worker went on to explain. It took a minute for the man to get what had happened. He gritted his teeth and sneered.

"Bitch ratted me out!" the student muttered under his breath.

"Sorry?" the woman asked.

"Big brother" a small voice spoke up. "Why did you leave so sud-?"The student and the social worker looked up to see the young girl coming into the living room. She had just woken up and looked hung-over. Her hazy, dull eyes sprang to life when she saw the social worker.

"Hi there," the woman said. The girl looked at her guardian.

"Big brother, what's going? Who is she?" she asked. As she spoke, the social worker observed the girl. The ward in question only had bed sheets wrapped around her skinny pale and bruised body. She shook all over despite it being late August at noon. The only coloring to her skin was the red handprints to her face and neck. Based on the case details she had from the anonymous caller this morning and the girl's appearance now, the social worker had all of evidence she needed.

"Young lady, you'll have to come with me," the social worker said. The girl blinked.

"Why? What for?" she asked.

"This is for your safety, miss," the woman said. "Come with me." The girl looked at her guardian. The student snorted at her.

"Whatever," he mumbled. The girl turned back to the lady with a scared look in her eyes. The social worker had her hand stretched out to the ward.

"It's okay," she said. "Just come with me." The girl stood there for what felt like the longest time. She finally nodded walked over to the woman. They left the graduate student standing alone at the front door. He shut the door when they disappeared from view. Later on, the police would arrive at his door and charge him with drug possession and child abuse.

Later afternoon, Tsuzuki found Anna sitting in the Club Orange lobby. They exchanged smiles.

"You okay with… you know?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Anna replied.

"It's just…" her boyfriend replied. He paused and bit his lower lip. Anna shook her head at him.

"It's okay," she told him.

"But…" the shinigami spoke up.

"It's okay," his girlfriend told him. "I trust you, remember?" Tsuzuki went quiet as he closed his mouth. Anna sat back on the pink sofa.

"I made the call," she said.

"You did?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Yes," Anna admitted. The smile faded from her face. "My only worry now is what's going to happen to her now," she added.

"That's out of our hands now," the shinigami said in a calm voice. "You did the right thing, at least." Anna sighed as she dropped her shoulders.

"I guess you're right," she said. Tsuzuki rose to his feet from the couch.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Why yes I am," his girlfriend replied.

Elsewhere at Kyoto University, Masayuki received a small box delivered in the mail to his dorm as his father and step-mother were on their way to retrieve Rieko's things.

"Huh?" he asked. The boy examined the box closely. No return address. Curious, Masayuki opened the box. His eyes were in for a surprise.

_This is…_ Rieko's diary sat before him in his curved, clutched fingers. Now, he would learn about her true feelings for him. _Rieko-chan…_

Tsuzuki helped Anna to her feet and they walked hand-in-hand to the outside to catch up with Hisoka.

Owari


End file.
